Snuff
by Angel Weasel-Woman
Summary: Matt is to face trial for the things Sora has accused him of, but will he really get justice? Or will this only become another nightmare? Sequel to S. Walden's Walking in the Dark.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi there everyone, and welcome to the official sequel to Walking in the Dark! This will actually be my first full-on collaboration with my fiancee, S. Walden, not just a series of different companion pieces. I hope our writing styles aren't too jarringly different, but I did my best to make it all flow together!

As this is a sequel to WitD (which, for the longest time, was actually the accumulative _end_ of the headcannon), this will also pull from the rest of our headcannon fics - mostly Bubbly and Angel of the Morning. But I'll do my best to make sure everything is properly explained for all you new readers~

I hope you'll enjoy!

* * *

 _Bury all your secrets in my skin_

 _Come away with innocence, and leave me with my sins_

* * *

2025

"Hanako, my daughter, is being molested. Please, you need to arrest Matt."

The whole hospital hallway stilled with those words. Ken looked at Sora, the haggard woman steeled against the stunned silence.

"You're... serious...?" Ken whispered, slowly morphing from concerned friend to police officer.

"Yes," Sora sobbed, angry tears streaming down her cheeks. There were still flecks of blood on her fists where she'd fought past the paramedics to beat on her once-dead husband's chest. The sound of the gunshot was still loud in her mind and she screamed over it, "Why do you think he tried to weasel out of it?!"

The hallway was crowded with worried, confused adults. Joe had just emerged from the room behind him. He was dressed in surgical scrubs, still clean, unable to bring himself to operate on his friend, laying prone and unconscious behind him. Tai and Izzy were holding hands, the married couple wondering what had happened to push Matt so far. Mimi was standing against the far wall, a comforting arm wrapped around Kari's shuddering shoulders as TK glowered, grumbling to himself, the Lord's name coming up more often than not.

Tai stepped forward, his ever present cane clicking on the stained tile. He tried to talk like he once had, to bring himself to be in charge of whatever crisis there was. "Sora, did you ask him?"

Sora turned on her old friend, amber eyes flashing with anger. Fear. Determination. "Like he would admit it, stupid!" She wiped away the tears from her eyes, smearing what little make up she wore. She took a shuddering breath, set her jaw and said to the gathered Children, "I've seen the way he looks at our daughter, and I can't keep them apart."

Joe clenched his hands to keep them from shaking, to keep himself from saying what needed to be said. Ken looked at the woman, the terrified wife and mother, and nodded, saying as officially as he could, "Alright, Sora. Let me talk to him first."

"No!" Sora yelped, making the group jump. "Now!"

"Sora," Joe finally said, intervening like he did with every argument. "He's not even conscious yet..."

The woman turned with all the fury of Hell. She had always known about them. Late at night, as her husband slept the tormented sleep of a disgusting sinner, she heard him whispering. Calling out for his poor, sick mother to stop whatever he had made up her doing. Whispering his brother's name in ways she'd never heard him speak to her. Sighing for Joe, murmuring and whimpering before waking up and having to change his underwear while Sora pretended to sleep.

Ever since they were children, they were all she'd ever heard about from Matt. They were his trinity of emotion and, when he was drunk enough to admit it, the only three people in his life that had ever made him _feel_. And now she had to face the fact, apparently alone, that his ten year old daughter was another of those people. Another victim in his twisted mind.

All that came out as a snapped: "Stay out of this, Joe."

Out of her life. Out of her marriage. Out of her family.

The doctor threw his hands in the air and turned back into the dark room where Matt lay, and Sora bit back the urge to scream. Ken lay a heavy hand on her shoulder and spoke to her.

"Joe is right, you know," he told her and she snorted. "Until Matt is fully conscious, there's nothing we can do."

"But there has to be," Sora demanded. "Can't you at least restrain him so he can't escape?"

"Sora, your husband _shot himself in the head,_ " Ken pressed. The group looked up, for the first time knowing why the blonde man was in the hospital. "I don't think he's going anywhere."

Mimi whimpered into Kari's hair, remembering the last time Matt had fallen so low, and the fear of seeing him drunkenly scrambling onto her balcony. Izzy pressed against Tai, already pale face drained of blood. For everything he had gone through with his husband, the thought of suicide had never once crossed his mind. TK, having heard the news from his father beforehand, resisted the urge to spit on the floor and go back to his terminal mother's room.

" _Something_ needs to be done about him!" Sora insisted. "He's a _monster_!"

"I can suggest," Ken said, almost uneasily, "that you take Hanako to the station. We can set up an interview, get her to talk to an officer, a psychiatrist, or -"

"A rape exam!" Sora interrupted hurriedly. "Like on TV – can't you get one for her? Find all that... _stuff_... he would have left on her?"

"A rape exam is a very invasive procedure," Ken explained slowly. "It could be very traumatic if nothing happened -"

"But it did! I know it did!" Sora refused the urge to stamp her foot, like a child having a tantrum. She needed to be an adult, no matter _who_ didn't believe her. "He's always with her; he doesn't sleep, he just goes into her room at night – I hear her _crying_ all the time! And this _look_ he gives her... It's like he never wants anyone else to have her. It's absolutely disgusting! I don't care how 'invasive' it is – Hanako _needs_ it to keep Matt away from her!"

"Sora -"

Ken looked up from the nearly-hysterical woman as Malcolm Ishida stormed out of the room, a cigarette already between his lips. The older man paused briefly to look at TK, who turned his head away, before storming down the hallway to the elevator. Just as the door was swinging shut, Joe's voice, normally so calm and gentle, especially at the hospital, screamed, "Matt, gods damn you, this _isn't_ a game!"

Sora made a face, tearing herself away from Ken, and she stormed into the room. She was aware of the other Children following her, but what made her stomach knot in anger was the way Joe was leaning over Matt, the doctor in pristine sea green scrubs, her husband laying in a white hospital gown and unable to lift his shaved and stitched head, like they were a prince and princess in some demented fairy tale. Joe was glaring, ready to yell again, and Matt's hands were shaking beyond his control, a sign of the mild brain damage he had inflicted on himself.

"Are you happy now?" Sora demanded as Joe jumped back, receiving a comforting pat on the back from Izzy. The gunshot echoed in her mind again, followed by her children's screams. "You've scarred the kids for life."

"How low can you sink?" TK hissed at the end of Matt's bed. He felt like a televangelist, ready to reach out and lay hands on his brother to heal him. But Matt didn't deserve divine healing – just to rot in his own personal Hell he'd created. "All _this_ to get out of seeing Mom?"

Matt parted his dry lips and took a harsh breath. He'd had a tube down his throat earlier and Joe hadn't given him anything to drink before he'd started his tirade. "It's not like that..."

Tai held up his cane, trying to get everyone's attention. He wasn't good at peace making, but he tried desperately, "Enough you guys. Let's just be glad -"

"Shut up!" Sora yelled. Tai pulled back with an unsteady step, not expecting the snap and Izzy reached out to still him. She then leaned in close to Matt, just like Joe had been, bracing herself on the rails of his bed so that she could growl at him, "You got your wish, _Yamato_ – I'll sign the damn divorce papers. But you know what? It'll be a cold day in Hell before you see your children. I'll make sure of that."

Matt just twisted his lips into a painful grimace. If he could have, he would have spit at his soon-to-be-ex-wife. "Been there every second I've been with _you_."

"What the Hell is your problem?" TK finally growled. Joe reached out for him, but the younger blonde jerked away, as though afraid of a homosexual's touch.

Matt looked his little brother in the eye, ignoring the woman still hunched over him. "She's been relentlessly accusing me of hurting _my own_ children, she tricked me into marrying her by _lying_ about her pregnancy, and she's generally been a hateful witch." He paused to take a ragged breath and Sora looked ready to slap him. "Anything else?"

"All _I_ can see," TK began as Sora left her husband to walk over to TK and place a comforting hand on his arm, "is a woman trying to keep her family together. Kind of like Mom before you started spreading lies about _her_." TK glared at his brother, grabbing Sora's hand and dug his words home with, "I guess you just _live_ to break up families, _don't you_?"

"TK..." Mat whispered. It hurt every day that TK didn't believe him, a soul-deep pain that overtook any warmth that Gabumon had ever filled him with. He shook away thoughts of the wonderful creature that had once loved him as purely and innocently as noone else had. "Take that back!"

"No!" Sora demanded. She remembered back to what started everything – that Malcolm had told her about Matt's own sexual abuse. And then Cody had been the one to tell her about patterns of abuse. What if Hanako hadn't been Matt's first victim? The shows she watched always told her that the first to come forward was never the first abused.

She swallowed hard as things fell into place – why TK and Matt stopped talking, why Matt was always so close to his little brother, the noises he made in his sleep... "Go on, tell us. Tell us the _truth_ about Matt – he touched you too, _didn't he_?"

"T-Touched...?" Mimi breathed, Kari holding her comfortingly. The sight of her husband with another woman didn't bother her and, Kari thought with a sigh, she knew TK would only ever come back to her.

The young blonde clenched his jaw, staring into Matt's soul. The older brother was silently pleading, begging TK to deny what Sora was telling the whole room – to tell the truth about everything. But TK just closed his eyes with a weary sigh and Sora sobbed in terror.

"Do you see?!" she demanded of all the stunned Children. "TK's so traumatized he can't even speak!"

"Because you're acting insane!" Tai interjected, finally finding his voice. All the way through, to the very depths of his soul, he knew Matt could never do any of those things. His best friend was troubled, sure, but he'd always been like that. He'd always protected others – the only one Matt would ever hurt was himself. And while Tai had never thought Matt would consider suicide an option, Tai knew his friend only needed support, not crazy accusations and a Jerry Springer-style screaming match.

"He's _sick_ ," Sora insisted. She shook her head, glaring the whole while. "Your own _brother_? As if hurting an innocent child wasn't enough."

Matt made a wailing noise, a horrifying hiccuping sound that could barely be called a laugh and Sora _did_ spit at him. "Fucker!"

Joe finally stood from where he'd collapsed in a chair upon everyone's entrance. He held his hands up like he used to do years ago and said as sternly as Tai ever had, " _Enough_. Matt needs his rest." He looked at Sora who turned away, wiping the spit from her chin. "If there really is anything you need to say, Ken is still waiting outside."

TK continued to hold Sora's hand as they turned and left the room. Kari bit her tongue as her husband practically shoved her brother to the ground to get him out of his way. Izzy tried to glare, but he wasn't used to the expression, and Tai was thankful he had a third leg to keep himself balanced.

Ken looked up from where he'd been standing guard at the door as the pair emerged. He'd heard the yelling from inside the room, but the emergency button hadn't been pressed, and there was no sounds of physical violence, so he let the group do as they needed.

Sora gave TK a grateful smile before turning to Ken.

"I want Hanako to have that rape exam, _now_ ," Sora demanded. "My neighbor can bring her here in ten minutes."

Ken bowed, knowing there was nothing else he could do.

"I'll call my partner and we'll be waiting."


	2. Chapter 2

_The air around me still feels like a cage_

 _And love is just a camouflage for what resembles rage again..._

* * *

Hanako never liked the way Mrs. Satoshi smelled. She always used way too much perfume, enough to make the young girl gag, and whatever she usually ate left her breath harsh and reeking of garlic cloves. She remembered her father complaining about the woman often, and she tried not to sniffle. Her hand still hurt from hitting Tsukuyomi, and there was a bruise forming under his eye. She couldn't even remember what they'd been fighting about, but she knew her mother often hit her father when they disagreed, so she'd simply assumed that was how to get her little brother to agree with her. Then her dad had caught her. He'd yelled and she'd yelled back and then he'd left.

Hanako had cried all day, thinking she'd driven her father away. She could remember, when she was really little, her father threatening to leave, but he'd always stayed before. But not now. Now Hanako had sent her father away, replacing himself with smelly old Mrs. Satoshi who always said bad things about him when he wasn't there.

Tsukuyomi had been scared of Hanako, but he was more scared of Mrs. Satoshi, so he hid in his sister's bed while the old woman was there. Hanako had held her little brother close, listening to their babysitter complain loudly about the smell of smoke and motor oil Hanako had come to associate with her father. She wanted to go out and tell the woman to get out, that she was ten and didn't need a babysitter. And then Tsukuyomi had started crying, every tiny sob hurting his cheek, and Hanako knew that her little brother needed someone to take care of _him._

She'd gone into her mother's bedroom, knowing it was Sora's more than Matt's as often as she caught her father sleeping on the couch, and found a pair of earbuds to hook into her phone. Her father had encouraged her to find a musical talent, but it was Tsukuyomi who had ended up with perfect pitch and a wonderful sense of rhythm. So the boy was calmed by the music Hanako had, and together they waited for their mother to come home from the _ikebana_ shop she owned down the street.

Mrs. Satoshi waited in the living room, bitterly complaining about being dragged away from her home in the middle of the morning. She loudly told the silver framed photo above the television that she had made plans, and that babysitting two terrorized children would only derail them. And then the loud sounds of daytime trash TV – the kind that Sora never allowed her children to watch and Matt laughed at when he had time with them.

The day dragged on, Tsukuyomi hiding in Hanako's comforter, listening to the same eight songs out of the hundreds Matt had bought that Sora had deemed "appropriate" over and over, while Hanako sketched a dragon with Mrs. Satoshi's face in her diary. The afternoon sun was coming in through the blinds with its harsh light when Sora came home, her old neighbor jumping on the woman right away to tell of Matt's abandonment. Hanako peeked her head out of her room, listening to her mother complain about how he never stayed gone for long, and that he would be back soon for "one thing". Hanako never knew what that "one thing" was, and whenever she asked, her mother would just start crying.

Sure enough, within a half hour of Sora's return, Matt stormed inside the apartment. He said something, voice too low and calm for Hanako to hear and immediately her mother pounced. Tsukuyomi covered his ears, the tiny headphones not enough to drown out the screams, and Hanako sat next to her cracked open door to listen.

Again, her name came up in their arguments. Again, her mother was telling her father something about her. Hanako drew her knees to her chest and buried her face in them to hide a sob. She wished she knew what she'd done wrong, what she'd done to make her parents fight so horribly.

Matt raced down the hall, Sora following closely. The bedroom door slammed shut, and Sora was shrieking about Matt not being a good father, and about some person named Joe that Hanako could barely remember.

There was silence, then, and Hanako was sure this argument would end like every other. Her father would emerge from the room, head bowed. Her mother would hit him a few times and tell him to sleep on the couch and tomorrow they wouldn't speak to each other and Hanako would be as good as she could be to try and prevent being the reason for another fight.

But then it went off.

A loud pop that echoed throughout the whole building.

A sound that Hanako would hear in her nightmares for years to come. A sound that Tsukuyomi could hear, even over the max volume that was destroying his sensitive ears.

Once again, Sora was screaming, but not in anger. In fear.

She was pounding on the door, demanding that Matt open it for the love of God!

Hanako snatched the phone from Tsukuyomi, muting the sudden scream of music quickly and did what she'd been taught in school: she dialed 119 and told the person on the line where she lived and that her father was hurt.

"You're a brave little girl," the person praised, and normally Hanako would be proud to be called brave. But she couldn't be this time.

Because this time she was sure that her father had done this because she'd been such a bad girl that morning.

Hanako sniffled and sobbed as the paramedics showed up, saying things like: "GSW to the head" and "too much blood loss" and "possible brain matter on the mattress".

Sora was shaking and crying silently as the paramedics rushed from the apartment, Matt strapped to a red board, blood dripping freely onto the floor. She walked past Hanako and Tsukuyomi's room once, twice, and finally remembered that her children were inside.

"Come on," she'd told them flatly, without even a smile. She would remember what feelings were later as anger began its slow trickle into her soul. "You're going to stay with Mrs. Satoshi."

The old woman wasn't pleased to have to watch the kids twice in one day.

"You tell the police," she warned Sora, "that _he_ attacked _you_. Don't let those pansy new-age cops make him the victim – tell them what _really_ happened."

And then Sora was gone. For hours. There was no news for the two crying children, huddled into each other as much as Mrs. Satoshi chided them.

"Boys and girls that age aren't supposed to be so close," she would mutter. But whenever she reached out to separate them, Hanako would bite her, and she stopped after a while.

The only phone call that came was hours after, and Mrs. Satoshi wouldn't tell them what it was about.

"Get in the car," Mrs. Satoshi told them after she hung up. "I'm taking you two to the hospital."

Hanako and Tsukuyomi had cried again, tears of relief flowing down their cheeks. Their father was safe! He was ok, and he was asking for them!

Mrs. Satoshi's car smelled worse than her apartment, and she drove at least ten under the speed limit at all times. The cars around her honked and revved and a few people even flipped her off as they passed. Mrs. Satoshi just cursed at them, screaming obscenities that Hanako had never heard before, and the one time Tsukuyomi told her to not say those things, the old woman had snapped, "I'm not letting a half-blood's brat tell me what to do. I've been on this Earth before your mother was a _thought_ and I deserve to say what I want."

Tsukuyomi just rubbed his bruise and let his sister dote on him after that.

Mrs. Satoshi dragged them to the lobby and Hanako threw herself into her mother's side, feeling Tsukuyomi do the same. They squeezed Sora tightly and Hanako looked up, asking, "When do we get to see Daddy?"

Sora just cried and told her, "Don't worry sweetie, he won't ever hurt you again."

Hanako wanted to tell her mother that her father had hurt himself, not her. But then her mother had stood and introduced her to a tall man with long dark hair and a woman with frizzy blue hair. "This is Detective Ichijouji and Detective Acevedo. They're here to help you through this."

The woman with the frizzy hair knelt down low, smiling sweetly. "Hi there, you must be Hanako. You can call me Natalie." And she reached out with one hand. Hanako looked at it for a moment, the gesture and the accent so unfamiliar to her as Natalie laughed suddenly. "I'm sorry. In Britain, we shake hands when we introduce ourselves. I'm afraid I haven't gotten used to bowing quite yet."

Hanako took the woman's hand with a tiny, shaky smile. "Do we get to see Daddy soon?"

The man leaned over, putting his hands on his knees and he told Hanako, "Not yet. We have to give you an examination first."

"It's not a shot is it?" Tsukuyomi asked quietly. He still had two small scars in his shoulder from when he was a baby.

"No, no shots," Detective Acevedo said with a sad smile. "Now come with us, Hanako, and we'll get you looked at."

Sora followed Hanako all the way into the small room. She had Tsukuyomi go with another doctor, probably just to play while his sister was busy. The doctor, an older man who smelled like Mrs. Satoshi and looked at Hanako like he would rather be anywhere else, patted a plastic chair covered with paper.

"Now just take your pants off and hop up here," he told Hanako.

But the girl remembered what she'd been told in Sex. Ed. and pulled the hem of her shirt down to cover herself. "Why?"

"It's the exam, sweetie," Sora told her. "Just be a good girl for the doctor."

"Noone's supposed to look at that," Hanako said, and the two detectives looked at each other.

"Sora," Detective Ichijouji said, "maybe this isn't the best..."

"No!" Sora yelped. "We _have_ to! I can't let M- Yamato get away with this!"

Then the door flew open, making Hanako jump. A woman walked in, long black hair expertly styled and hazel eyes flashing. She was dressed sharply in a black suit, and her blood red lips curled into a twisted smile. The detective with the long hair stepped forward.

"Gabriel? What are you doing here? I thought you had retired."

The woman laughed, a noise like oil flowing past her lips. "Not quite yet, Ken. I still have some time to kill before my final day."

"That's not what he meant," Detective Acevedo grumbled. "We _just_ told the captain we were doing this exam – we don't need an ADA here to hover over our shoulders."

"Please," Gabriel sneered, lips pulling back over perfectly white teeth. "If I left it up to _you_ two bleeding hearts, you'd let that pervert go home with this poor dearie." Then she turned to Sora. "Don't worry, Mrs. Ishida, I'll personally _guarantee_ that your husband gets what he deserves."

Sora sighed in relief, even as Ichijouji and Acevedo frowned. She turned to her daughter and gave that same, teary smile she'd been giving her since she'd arrived at the hospital. "Go on, Hanako. It's ok to take off your pants."

"No!" Hanako insisted. "You have to listen when I say no – Mr. Tsuma said so!"

"He's her Health teacher," Sora explained quickly. She knelt to her daughter's level and told her, "You have to, Hanako. You could be hurt, very badly, and we need to make sure you're ok."

Hanako pouted at her mother's tears. "I guess..."

She looked at all the people surrounding her. The detectives were looking away politely, her mother was crying into her hands, and the doctor was fiddling with something next to the chair. The only person actually looking at her was Gabriel, staring her down with suspicious eyes. She grabbed the band of her pants, feeling her face flush as she lowered them as slowly as she could. She had never undressed in front of anyone before – not even in gym as she hid in the bathroom stalls to change – and the room was cold and made gooseflesh rise on her bare bottom. She covered herself as best she could, climbing into the chair and ripping the paper slightly as she tried to get settled.

The doctor reached around, bringing forth harsh-looking metal stirrups. He patted them boredly and instructed, "Put your feet in these."

"But that'll make..." Hanako blushed darkly when she realized that everyone would be able to see her if she was like that. "I don't want to do this."

"It's part of the exam," the doctor said as he stood to find a blanket he would use to cover her once she was positioned. "You have to."

Hanako grabbed herself to hide it and shrieked, "No! No I don't – I can say _no_!"

Sora gave a great sob and turned on Detective Ichijouji, yelling at him, "Do you see what _he's_ done to her?! He's made her ashamed and scared!"

The tall man tried to hold her mother's arms still as she flailed. "Sora, calm down. You're making it worse for Hanako."

"If that bastard hadn't already offed himself, I'd _kill_ him!" Sora continued, ignoring the officer.

Hanako started crying, her mother's tense stance and enraged words stressing her. She curled into herself, wondering why everyone was suddenly so interested in looking at something she only used to go to the bathroom, and she kicked the doctor when he tried to get close to her.

"This isn't working," he said, touching his nose to make sure there wasn't any blood. "If we're going to continue, she'll need to be sedated."

"I don't care what you have to do," Sora cried, working herself into a fury. "Just get what you need to make sure that disgusting freak pays!"

"Mrs. Ishida, please," the foreign officer tried. "If you don't calm down, we'll have to remove you."

But neither mother nor daughter could calm down at that point. A nurse was called in to help hold Hanako still and as the needle went in, Detectives Ichijouji and Acevedo hauled Sora from the room, leaving the doctor and Gabriel all alone with a quickly quieting Hanako.

* * *

"When can I take Hanako home?" Sora demanded as soon as she'd calmed down enough for the handcuffs to come off.

"You _can't,_ remember?" Ken said, exasperated. He was getting tired of Sora's attitude, even knowing it came from a worried, loving place. "Kari and TK will be taking both Hanako and Tsukuyomi until this is all straightened out."

"But, but I _need_ my children!"

"And we need to ensure their safety. Sora, I'm sorry."

Sora took a deep breath, trying not to glare at Ken and Natalie. For a moment, she wondered if this was something going on, something that was keeping her and her alone in the dark. _Ken wouldn't do that_ , she told herself. _He wouldn't..._ "Then my mother's. I can drive them over, they'll be fine with her. Goodness knows she's been demanding to see them for the longest time."

"Mrs. Ishida," Natalie sighed. "You _can't_. Mr. and Mrs. Takaishi are taking them. You can visit if you want, but they're going to be placed with _them_."

Sora took a deep, calming breath. She didn't want to yell at Ken, he was only doing his job. But she knew she would feel much better once she spoke with that Gabriel woman. She seemed to be the only one in the whole hospital on her side about this. Even TK looked like he was having his doubts, but Sora knew. She knew through and through what her husband had done, and it made her sick.

"Fine," Sora grumbled, folding her arms. As soon as she could, she would be there for her children.

The exam room door opened and Gabriel stepped out, shaking her head sadly. Hanako was still in the chair, blinking heavily as she slowly came back to reality. Her legs were back down and the blanket was across them until she was aware enough put her pants back on. The doctor was pushing something deep into his coat pocket as a nurse took a white paper bag from the room.

"I'm afraid it's not good..." the doctor sighed heavily, and Gabriel's lips twitched.


	3. Chapter 3

_So if you love me, let me go._

 _And run away before I know._

* * *

Joe yawned into his wrist, blinking to keep his eyes open. Tai was saying something and Aiko was bouncing excitedly to see his father home for the first time in a week, but Joe couldn't focus on any of it. All he could think was: _Gods, I'm tired._

Matt was snoring away in the car, catching up on the sleep they'd both lost. The two men had to arrive at a Paris airport at nine at night, leave at midnight to take a twelve hour flight with a baby screaming the whole time in order to make it back to Tokyo at seven A.M. Only to leave the airport two hours later as Sora and Matt got into in a screaming match that ended up with them both in handcuffs for almost an hour while Ken threatened to lock them both up for good.

After calming down enough to be released, Sora, TK, and Kari stormed off on their own while Ken continued to berate Matt about "not antagonizing dragons". Joe almost fell asleep on his feet a few times before Ken decided to let them go on their way. The moment the couple made it to Joe's car, Matt passed out in the passenger seat, so tired that even his hands had stilled their shaking. Joe wanted to let him rest and at the same time wake him up because, damnit, if he couldn't get any sleep yet, why should he? But the man needed it desperately, so Joe chugged his fifth coffee and tried to keep the road from blurring.

He debated leaving his son, Aiko, with the Izumi's for another day, just to get some sleep. But the boy had already been calling obsessively, making sure his father was arriving on time.

"How is Yamapapa?" Aiko asked loudly, jerking Joe back to semi-consciousness.

The doctor blinked and looked at his son. Tai had stopped talking to him to yell at his daughter, Jaciru, for kicking her soccer ball in the house. "He's fine, Aiko. Just asleep in the car."

"That's good," Aiko decided. "I'm glad he could see his goldfish before she was buried."

"His... what?" Joe wondered just what the hell Matt had told his son about Nancy. "Never mind. Say goodbye to Mr. Izumi."

Aiko bowed deeply and formally to Tai. "Thank you for all your hospitality, Mr. Izumi. And please tell Mr. Izumi the same when he wakes up."

Tai patted Aiko on the top of the head like he was five, not twelve, and grinned. "Iz'll be happy to hear it. You know you're welcome any time, Ai." There was a crash and Tai whirled around, shaking his cane threateningly. "Bug! You know your Mama is sleeping – stop breaking crap!"

"Sorry, Papa," came a sweet little voice that wasn't in the least bit sorry. A young girl of ten poked her frizzy red head out from around the corner. She was dressed in a green soccer uniform and her black eyes sparkled with mischief. "Bye, Aiko!"

"Goodbye, Jaciru. Tell Nakayama that I'll call him about his science project tomorrow."

Jaciru made a face and grumbled, "You two and your nerd shit."

Joe led Aiko away with a sigh as Tai playfully raged, "Damnit, Bug, I told you not to use that kind of language!"

Matt snorted in his sleep, blinking wearily at the duo that was approaching the car. "Sup, little buddy?" he greeted as Aiko climbed into the back seat.

The boy leaned forward and gave an inquisitive sniff. "Good, you're not drunk. That means I'm glad to see you, Yamapapa."

Matt grumbled and fell back asleep as Joe laughed. And then yawned. He wanted nothing more than to collapse in his bed and sleep for a week. Suddenly, he was glad he'd taken an extra few vacation days.

Aiko waited patiently in the back seat, watching the world pass by as his father drove him home. Despite being older now and knowing the threat was long gone, he still kept watch for a red sports car following far too close. He listened to Matt as he snored, and to his father who kept flipping through radio stations to try and stay awake. Joe fumbled at the gate for a moment, typing in the wrong code twice before the rusted monstrosity lumbered open.

Joe tired really hard to leave the luggage in the back of the car, complaining loudly that they would be there tomorrow, but Aiko insisted they take them up right then. "Otherwise you'll just keep saying 'tomorrow, tomorrow' – I _know_ you, Dad."

"He's got you there," Matt laughed, finally waking up. But Joe knew as soon as he got a cigarette, he would be back asleep.

"Fine," Joe grumbled. "But you're getting the heavy stuff."

Aiko actually ended up dragging the largest suitcase along the ground just because Matt kept dropping it. Joe's key didn't quite fit the lock right, and he wondered if he'd asked the landlord to change the locks again. And then his son pointed out he was using the car key to open the front door and Joe groaned, flunking his head against the door.

"To bed," he whined, finally flinging the door open. He hadn't been this tired even through his whole residency. Probably because he'd never had to deal with a drunk in the middle of a divorce with a dead mother in a foreign country back then. "I don't care where you put anything, Aiko, just let me sleep..."

Matt dropped his luggage on the couch and meandered to the porch, grabbing the week-old pack of cigarettes by the door and igniting it before he was even outside, a twitching tendril of smoke wafting back inside. Aiko made a face at the comfortingly familiar smell and opened his suitcase, sorting out the dirty clothes and bringing it to the laundry area. Spending the week with Tai and Jaciru, he was now especially grateful to have such a clean apartment to come home to. Without Izzy and Nakayama to remind their others to pick up, Aiko was certain that house would be a toxic waste dump by now.

Joe fell into his bed, not bothering to get under the covers or even undress. As soon as his head hit the pillow, he was asleep.

* * *

"Tell me what's going on," Ken demanded as he walked into the station. Gabriel was already there, speaking his with Captain, a tall older man by the name of Meloni. "First you're retiring, then you come back. Now you're representing the wife _and_ still trying Yamato's case?"

Gabriel ran her tongue over her teeth, biting back a frown. "As I told you, Ichijouji, I _am_ retiring from the DA's office to go into private practice. I just happen to have enough time left for one more slam-dunk case to finish out my 100% win rate. Believe me, once I'm done nailing Ishida's ass to the wall for what he did to his daughter, I'll be more than happy to help his wife get her share of the marriage."

"This is _grossly_ inappropriate," Ken insisted. "A clear conflict of interest!"

"My only interest is the safety of Hanako," Gabriel said. "And I happen to believe the best way to ensure that is to be involved from beginning to end."

"Ken," Meloni said with a great sigh and Ken looked to him. The man had been an officer since he was old enough to join the academy, and the redeemed Child listened to him with an unyielding respect. "Let her do what she needs to. Gabriel has always fought, and won, for us."

Ken took a deep breath, mulling Meloni's words over. He'd never gotten along with Gabriel, he found the woman far too like himself when he was the Emperor and the way she smiled always sent a shiver down his spine. He half expected her to appear in his flowing blue cape and harsh purple glasses some days, barking orders and cracking the whip as he used to. But Meloni was right. Any case Gabriel took on, she won, even when it seemed there was little to no evidence aside her gut feeling.

"Fine," he acquiesced after a long moment. "But I still don't believe in Ishida's guilt."

Meloni quirked an eyebrow. "Oh? Is there something you know that our _illustrious_ ADA doesn't?"

Despite backing her up, Meloni had never gotten along with lawyers of any kind.

Gabriel twisted her lips into a sneer. "Ichijouji is Ishida's _friend_. To me, that sounds a lot like a conflict of interest, doesn't it?"

"I can retain a professional attitude as long as _you_ can," Ken said, taking personal offense.

Meloni held his hands up and said sternly, "I'll be watching _both_ of you. The moment I think either of you have overstepped your bounds for any reason, I'll take you off this case so fast your heads'll spin."

Ken nodded, displaying just _how_ professional he could be before stalking off to find Natalie. He had never trusted Gabriel, and he wasn't about to start now.

* * *

"Thanks for being there for me, TK," Sora said, giving the man a tight hug. She pouted at the bandages across his nose and resisted the urge to touch it. The bone underneath was broken and she didn't want to put him in any pain.

Kari stood aside as he husband and friend held each other. She wished the display would spark some kind of jealousy within her, anything to feel like she was still in love with TK, but all she could think was, _I hope Davis didn't try and call while I was out of service area._

"I'm sorry for everything Matt has put you through," TK apologized for what felt like the thirtieth time since they'd gotten off the plane. "That he could ruin a _funeral_ like that..."

"It's just his way," Sora reassured. "Like you said, all he does is break up families."

Kari's cheeks puffed out as she held back her words. She wanted to tell the duo that Matt had tried his hardest to keep his own life together, and that the only reason his family went south was because of Sora's constant accusations. Instead she took a calming breath and put a hand on TK's arm, asking him, "Shouldn't we be getting the kids?"

"That's right," Sora remembered suddenly. "You have two boys. Where are they, anyway – I didn't see them in France."

"We left Kazuki and Lucian with Mimi while we were out," Kari said, ignoring her husband's grumbling. As little as he liked two men raising children, he hated single parents just as much. Not that he didn't feel for Mimi and her situation, he was quick to explain, but she should have kept her legs closed until she was married. "She was excited to have some company for her son."

"Why don't you take the car and get the boys?" TK suggested. "I'm sure Sora's apartment is still a crime scene, and I don't want to turn my sister-in-law out."

Kari resisted the urge to roll her eyes, nodding sweetly instead. As she grabbed her keys and her purse, she privately wished she would come home to walk in on an affair. At least that way, she could justify to Davis why she was leaving her husband.

But as she turned to leave, TK gave her a desperate, needy hug and the young wife returned it. He would never, she knew. He was only being a good friend to a woman he still saw as a mother.

* * *

"Your mommy is on her way," Mimi sang out from the kitchen as she hung up the phone. The three boys were in the living room, watching one of her few original movies. She knew there were those that called her "the Remake Queen", but she didn't care. She knew she was a damn good actress and nothing said about her in those dumb magazines could get her down. She walked into the living room, and saw that her son was sprawled out all over the couch, pointing out which actors were nice and which were jerks.

Mimi bit the inside of her cheek, hating herself for the flare of resentment that rose within her whenever she looked at Russell. The memory, or rather the lack thereof, would always resurface. The unfamiliar taste of hard alcohol, the bright nightclub lights, the hidden drug that made her vision swim. And when she thought about it hard enough, though she often tried not to, she could almost feel the pain of her manager between her nearly-unconscious legs, taking for himself what he "deserved" from her.

"That guy," Russell said suddenly, and Mimi quickly tore herself from the fuzzy memory of her rape. Instead, she let the love for her son fill her, as the boy pointed to a character who's head had just exploded. "He told me I was the worst actor he'd ever worked with, including some show animals."

"What'd you do?" Kazuki asked from his spot on the floor by Russell's feet. Lucian wasn't as interested in movie set trivia as Kazuki had suddenly become that week, so he was lounged in a recliner, reading some dumb romance novel TK would have laughed himself hoarse at.

Russell grinned proudly, ignoring his mother who was leaning up against the wall, looking at him with that odd, sad-happy expression she wore when she thought he wasn't looking. "I shut down production the whole next day because I was so upset that my rabbit had died. I got Mr. Dillweed there to pay for all the funeral expenses – including flying the dumb thing's body from Japan to LA overnight – before I told him I'd never owned a rabbit in my life."

Kazuki gave a loud, snorting laugh, blushing when he realized he'd never made a noise like that before spending the week at Mimi's. Lucian gave him a knowing look over the top of his book and Kazuki stuck his tongue out at him. It wasn't the blonde's fault he didn't know why he'd changed so suddenly.

"What was that about Mom?" Lucian asked, still making faces at his brother. He'd pushed the tip of his nose up and crossed his eyes and was about to snort at him when Mimi waltzed over to the boys. She put her hands on her hips and frowned motherly at him.

"She's a few minutes down the street. And you shouldn't make that face at your brother," she told him sternly. She then pulled her bottom lip down with her thumbs and stuck out her tongue, rolling her eyes back. "You shoul' ma'e 'is 'une."

Lucian laughed and mirrored the expression, Russell and Kazuki pulling their own gross faces back at them. Horrified screams and more bodily explosions erupted from the TV as the group laughed and continued to make the dumbest and grossest expressions they could at each other.

Kari had to ring the doorbell twice before Mimi finally answered, a stretch of tape holding up her nose and fake piercings adorning both eyebrows. "A new beauty treatment?"

Mimi made a face, probably, and reached up to take the tape off, rubbing her nose. "Just playing around. Ah, it was so nice to have your boys around, Kari."

"They weren't too much of a handful for you and Russell?" the young woman asked, her sons running round the corner to greet her. Lucian had fangs and horns on his face with Mimi's lipliner and Kazuki's once fair blonde hair was now shocking waves of green and orange.

"It's just jell-o," Mimi reassured quickly. "It'll wash out in a day."

Kari rolled her eyes and Mimi sighed, realizing she would now be the one to pay for their whole next girl's night in punishment. Just like the last time she gave Jaciru make up. Mimi shuddered at the memory of the girl's poor soccer uniform.

"Say goodbye to Miss. Tachikawa," Kari instructed her boys, licking her thumb to try and wipe off Mimi's lipliner. But it was high quality and it barely smudged on Lucian's cheek.

Lucian made a whining noise to his mother and Kazuki blushed as he bowed, wondering how to explain to his father about his hair. Now that Russell wasn't there, his mind was quickly clearing and trying to find that righteousness TK had always insisted on.

Mimi waved as she shut her door, recognizing the soft sigh from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and glared at Russell. "Oh no you don't. His dad is being a giant butthole right now, and besides that, you're _twelve_."

"But he's cute," Russell insisted, and his mother knew from when she was his age that there was nothing that could change his mind.

* * *

A/N: Hooray, we've finally made it past WitD~!


	4. Chapter 4

_My heart is just too dark to care._

 _I can't destroy what isn't there._

* * *

"Right there," Aiko said, pointing. "That's a piece of sky."

"How can you tell?" Matt laughed, taking the solid blue piece. It still took a moment for his hands to stop their twitching long enough to place it, but with his "guitar therapy" (as Joe called his fumbling chords and wavering strumming) he was getting better. The piece fit perfectly and Aiko gave that smug smile Matt was getting so used to. "It could have been part of the ocean."

It was early evening, three weeks after the funeral. Matt and Aiko were kneeling on the floor in the living room, the large glass table covered with half of a lighthouse. Matt was relaxing in a pair of gray sweatpants, shirt tossed haphazardly at the laundry basket, the scar of his crest exposed for the whole apartment to see (not that Joe minded). Aiko, having finished his homework and required twenty minutes of saxophone practice, had demanded family time with his "father" while Joe volunteered to cook dinner before having to leave for an overnight shift.

"All the ocean pieces have white waves on them," Aiko said. "And it's two shades darker than the sky."

"Don't argue with Aiko about puzzles," Joe called from the kitchen, checking the chicken. "He's put all of these together at least five times."

"Well then that's just cheating," Matt decided, grabbing another piece of blue with a smile. "Tomorrow, little buddy, you and me are going to go out and buy ten more puzzles."

"You mean it?" Aiko gasped. His eyes were bright behind his glasses as he reached around the coffee table to hug Matt. "I would love it, Yamapapa!"

Matt used to be uncomfortable around Aiko, worried that Joe would jump on him like Sora always had. But his lover was not only ok with, but encouraging of, their friendship and Matt could finally let himself be the father he'd always wanted to be. So he hugged the boy tight, enjoying the closeness he'd never had with Hanako.

"Dinner's almost ready," Joe announced. "Go get washed up, you two."

"C'mon, buddy," Matt said, standing and stretching. Oh, how he missed being a spry teenager. Being thirty six was a pain in his ass. And joints. "Go wash your hands and change out of that ridiculous uniform. Does elementary make you wear that?"

Aiko looked himself over. He was in a sensible white polo and black slacks held up with a plain belt. He'd hung his jacket up at the door, wearing it even though the summer heat was slowly overcoming spring's final days. "No, but I will be in middle school starting next year and then I _will_ be required to wear a uniform. It never hurts to be prepared."

"Joe, what did you do to your kid?" Matt asked loudly, teasingly.

"Oh no, don't go blaming that on me. You can thank his mother for raising him like that." Joe set the table as he listened to the bathroom sink run. "When I got Aiko, he was already odd."

Aiko stuck his tongue out (a face he'd learned from Matt), dried his hands, and hurried to the table, eagerly taking his place and waiting on his fathers. Matt stopped by Joe's room, or rather _their_ room by now, to grab his dirty shirt, pulling it on as he stumbled into his usual chair. He reached up to idly scratch the scar at his temple, wondering if he'd ever get used to having a steel plate in his head. Joe sat down with a weary sigh and sipped his coffee before even thinking of getting any food. This was his first night shift since coming back from France, and he wanted to be prepared and alert.

"This is delicious, Dad," Aiko appreciated after a few bites. He smiled warmly at his father. "Ever since Yamapapa moved in, you've improved in the kitchen."

"I'm glad you finally find it palatable," Joe said as Matt laughed. "I wasn't _that bad_ of a cook before."

"I guess I've just spoiled the boy," Matt said. "Don't worry, buddy, I'll be sure to teach your dad a thing or two for next time."

Joe blushed, remembering the last cooking lesson Matt had tried to give him. Aiko had come home from band practice and, before even setting his instrument down, began lecturing Matt about the hickeys on his neck and chest. It was the first time Matt had found out about Joe's old "date planner" and the mocking still continued.

Matt caught the faraway look in Joe's eyes and snickered, the blue haired man glaring as his phone began ringing. "It's dinnertime," he whined, "they can wait."

"They can't if it's the hospital," Joe reminded his lover. He stood, patting Aiko on the top of the head as he passed, and grabbed his cell off the counter where it had been charging. "Hello?"

"Good evening, Joe," came Cody's gentle voice. "I'm not calling too late, am I?"

"No, no, it's fine." Joe mouthed the man's name and Matt stilled his conversation with Aiko, wondering why his lawyer was calling. "Is everything ok?"

Cody sighed, a soul-deep noise that worried Joe. "The ADA isn't budging anymore, and Gabriel is insisting that Matt's trial take place next week."

"N-Next week?! But it's so soon after the..." Joe glanced at Matt, still unsure about mentioning anything about his mother or her funeral.

"That's exactly her game," Cody said. "She's trying to keep us as confused and upset as possible. But I'm sending out subpoenas for witnesses tomorrow so I can prep all of you as much as I can. The more prepared _we_ are, the less power she'll have over us."

"I appreciate the head's up." Joe gave Matt a strained smile, knowing the inevitable conversation would put him in the worst mood to work his shift. "I'll see you soon."

* * *

Despite the absence of police tape, Sora still couldn't bring herself to return to her apartment, and as much as she would have loved to continue to stay with TK, she could see the looks Kari tried to hide. An almost bored, not quite accusing glance quickly covered up by a friendly smile and courteous word. The only other person Sora had seen Kari give that same look to was the priest at the Catholic Church TK took them to each Sunday as he preached about the Devil and his horrors.

"Do not let them fool you," he called from the altar, bringing forth God's fury. "You must strive to keep yourself pure in body and soul. Stay away from the Dark One's horrors – substance abuse, homosexuality, abortions!"

Kari would just leaf through her hymnal, despite TK dragging them to the first row of pews to sit directly before the priest, hugging her boys tight in reassurance. Her husband kept trying to subtly make her pay attention to the words being spewed forth, but she would just find the inspirational parables to share with Kazuki as he huddled closer to his mother.

From that first sermon on, Sora kept a close eye on her nephews. Lucian was wonderful; a bright boy who could read the Bible cover to cover and carry on a theological discussion with any member of the Church. Kazuki, however, was becoming rather worrisome. Sora had never liked the way the younger boy talked about his time spent with Russell, happily parroting away the child-star's set trivia with a twisted smile. So she made it a point to back TK up whenever he spoke, driving Kari out of the room before he could tear apart Tai and Izzy's marriage for more than a few words.

"Your niece and nephew are _wonderful_ children," Kari would point out. "Being raised by loving parents."

"Jaciru is a demon-spawn of her own admission, and Nakayama will become just as bad as either of _them_ if he continues to be so... _soft_ ," TK would spit back.

And whenever Kari thought Sora was far enough out of earshot, she would whisper, "And Hanako and Tsukuyomi? How did _their_ family turn out?"

"That man is sick," Sora would snarl. She always had to look around after that, because Hanako always listened for any information on her missing father. "What he _is_ had nothing to do with our marriage."

Then Kari would give up, quietly informing Sora that it was getting late and her children needed their rest.

Within a few days, those glares were getting harder for Kari to control, and harder for Sora to ignore. TK, however, seemed completely oblivious to the animosity growing between his wife and sister-in-law, going out of his way to make sure Sora was comfortable.

The day Sora decided to leave, lest she be the one to break Kari's perfect and serene shell, TK almost cried. He gave her a small, antique bottle of perfume, the once-red puffer worn down to a faded pink.

"Mom left this to me," the man explained as Sora sniffed the light scent of roses. "But... I want you to have it."

"You've always been so sweet, TK," Sora said, giving her friend a gentle hug. She noticed Kari disappear into the kitchen, and Sora bit back a frown. She was doing nothing wrong, so how could the once-Queen act like that? She shook her head and stepped back with a small smile. "I'm glad you never let what happened to you take that away."

TK just looked away, mumbling something about needed to get back to writing.

* * *

As a special treat for everyone (and because I've been working on it for a while~) I bring you... The official Digimon V! Wikia!

digimon-v . wikia . com

Here I have a complete listing of all the fics our headcannon as well as a character listing for the adults and their children! Because goodness knows _I_ need one by now to keep track of everyone ^^;

I'm doing my best to keep it all spoiler-free, so it's a little bare right now. But it will at least cover all the basics up to this point so you don't have to keep rereading fics to remember who's who (unless you want to keep reading, that is~)


	5. Chapter 5

_Deliver me into my fate -_

 _If I'm alone I cannot hate_

* * *

"Your room is just as you left it," Toshiko said the first time she opened her door to her daughter. Sora bowed and waited for her mother to step aside and allow her in. "I kept up with the dusting and vacuuming because I knew this day would be coming." Toshiko shook her head in disgust, leading her child through the apartment that still smelled like flowers. "I knew he was a disgusting man from that first time..."

Sora bit her lip and looked to her feet, thinking, _Then why didn't you let the police stay...?_

All the clothes in her closet had been freshly washed and ironed, as though Toshiko knew Sora would be returning that particular day. The dark, shapeless dresses were tight across her bust and hips, widened from children, and when she mentioned that she would need new clothes, her mother just "tisk"ed at her.

"Nonsense, Sora," her mother said, not looking up form her morning tea. "You just need to loose that baby weight. How many times did I tell you when you were growing up that fat women loose their husbands, hm?" And as Sora turned away, trying to grab what little fat there was on her stomach, she could have sworn she heard her mother grumble, "No wonder your husband was going after someone _much_ younger."

It was the next day that she read over the subpoena Gabriel had brought to her and her mother, the older woman glaring at the legal document ordering her to court. Toshiko, despite hating having her affairs dragged into the public eye, took her order to her bedroom, leaving her daughter alone with Gabriel.

"I'm sorry I have to do it this way," Gabriel said, a cold comfort in her voice. "But I've heard how your mother is around the police, and I must insist that she take the stand."

"It'll be fine," Sora said, wondering how long her mother would lecture her over how "blown out of proportion this whole thing has become." "I really do appreciate how much you're helping me..."

Gabriel put a hand on Sora's shoulder, the richly painted nails digging painfully into her sleeve. "Then you'll understand when I ask you to help _me,_ right? There's a few things I need you to look at on your home computer..."

* * *

Sora was still dressed in all black almost two weeks later, having just attended Mrs. Satoshi's funeral. She'd been surprised at how few people had gathered, and even more surprised at how few cared.

"The lawyer said she left me something," had said Mrs. Satoshi's granddaughter with an apathetic shrug. "Knowing her, it's just a slap in the face and a spit on my grave."

Sora shook the awful memory from her mind, something she'd been doing quite a lot lately, and reached for her cell phone, quietly dialing a comforting number as she set her subpoena aside, the blue paper dirtied from constant reading and rereading.

"What's up, Sora?" Yutaka answered, still idly tapping away at his drums. He'd never given up on music, despite the horrible end to the Teenage Wolves. "Weren't you at that funeral today?"

"I just got back," Sora said quietly, glancing at her door. Her mother would be very upset if she knew her daughter was talking to another man so soon. Even if Sora _had_ been speaking to Yutaka for quite some time. "My lawyer stopped by a few days ago and she said I'm going to be a witness at Ma- ah... _Yamato's_ trial..."

She bit her lip, thinking of the things Gabriel had said to her, the things the woman had asked her to do. _It's for Hanako..._

The drumming on the other end stopped, and Yutaka growled at the mention of his ex-friend's name. "Gabriel, right? She was here this morning, said I'm gonna be a witness, too."

"But you weren't there," Sora gasped, blushing. "And I never told anyone I called you..."

"I don't think it's that." The drumming started up again, harsher and angrier than before. "She said I'd be a character witness – tell 'em how shitty Yamato was and how much of a bitch he'd been since I've known him, that kind of stuff."

"Oh." Sora was relieved. She certainly didn't need her mother knowing about her friendship with the redheaded man. "I guess that means... we'll be seeing each other again, won't we?"

"Don't worry, Sora," Yutaka said. "I told you the day that bastard beat you up – I'll make sure you're safe from him."

* * *

Joe sat in Cody office, the large room filled with enough people to make him slightly claustrophobic. Tai was seated in a couch along the far wall, lightly bouncing his cane on the plush carpeting, with Izzy hovering beside him. Seated directly at the desk was a strange woman with short, graying-blonde hair and soft green eyes. She was dressed in a simple suit, and a pin at her breast proclaimed her to be "Dr. Eliza Halloway".

Joe didn't recognize her from the hospital, and he wondered why Cody had called in another doctor.

"What's the deal?" Tai asked suddenly, making Joe jump. "Why are we all here?"

"Normally," Cody began, "when a witness is called in to testify, I don't need to go through all this. I would call you up on the day you're to go in, you say your thing about Matt, and you could go home. However..."

The door opened suddenly, and Malcolm stepped inside the office, blushing as every eye turned on him.

"Ah, sorry about that. I couldn't get away from work on time." He sat next to the strange woman, giving her a twisted grin. "Dr. Halloway. I bet you're about tired of hearing about my son."

"On the contrary," she said gently. "I've always wished to know how my first case turned out."

 _First case?_ Joe thought, and then he realized. Halloway wasn't a medical doctor. She had been Matt's therapist.

"If this is so abnormal, then what is the purpose of bringing us here?" Izzy asked, meeting Joe's eye for a moment. He had come to the same conclusion.

"Because the ADA trying this case is just as abnormal." Cody looked to each person in his office. "Gabriel Dolphinus is a horrific chimera of a tiger, a shark, and the Devil himself. She uses every tactic she has – legal or not – to win. She boasts a 100% win rate, when the average is in the seventies.

"This case is not straight forward. It's a 'he said, she said' of the worst kind with absolutely _no_ evidence either way. So instead of attacking the 'what's she'll attack the 'who's. She will dig into each of your lives, turn up dirt you never knew you had clinging to you. If any of you have ever so much as j-walked, she'll turn it into a homicide."

"She can't be _that_ bad," Tai said, a worried giggle escaping.

Cody fixed Tai with a look that stilled any reflexive noises as he said, "The only reason we can't _prove_ she drove opposing counsel to suicide is because the note she left vanished before it made its way into evidence." Tai swallowed hard. "You are all here for Matt, don't forget that. You are the ones that know him the best, you known him almost his whole life – no matter what Gabriel says, about him or about you, you _have_ to remember that. Don't give her anything to feed off, just stay focused. The trial will begin in a few days, if any of you need to discuss anything with me, I'm here."

"We won't let him down," Joe said. He read the look Cody was giving him, the one reminding him of Tomaru, and he shook his head. No matter what Gabriel said, he would never falter over what he'd had to do.

"Matt's always been there for us," Tai said, giving his husband's hand a squeeze. "So we'll be there for him."

"I'm glad to hear that," Cody said, with obvious relief. "I still have some preparations to make before the trial. I'll make sure all of you are informed of your court dates, and just... don't let yourselves be intimidated. I told you about Gabriel not to frighten, but to prepare."

* * *

Sora couldn't remember the last time she'd had to sneak out of her own house. Probably sometime right after her father had been kicked out, when she was still desperate for his attention and approval. Before she'd been taught _proper_ femininity. But now she just felt so trapped, so smothered under her mother's thumb.

 _"Just remember, your mother does what she does because she loves you. You might not understand now, but I do."_

Sora stilled her shuddering breath with the memory of Biyomon's final words to her. The things Toshiko did, the things Sora emulated with her own husband and children, that was just how a mother acted. Even this sneaking out while her mother was at work seemed wrong, but she couldn't ignore the recent phone call of an old friend.

The redhead sat in the cafe, looking around nervously. She seemed to be waiting for Toshiko to appear, to demand to know why her daughter was out without a male escort. She could call Yutaka, she thought, but would that appease her mother, or only make her more upset?

"Hey, Sora," came the happy voice she'd missed so. Yolie smiled as she took off her apron, sitting in the booth across from her "older sister". She only worked at the cafe for a few hours a day, mostly to give her mind a rest from the constant worry of her husband's dangerous job, and so her break was rather short today. "You weren't waiting long, were you?"

Sora blushed as she shook her head, admiring her younger friend. Yolie had kept her hair long, pinned back under a scarf, and the light pink of the cafe uniform complimented her complexion nicely. How was it that Yolie could raise three children and still look younger every day while all Sora had to put up with was her two and she felt twice her age?

"No, I just got here." Sora self consciously tucked a red curl behind her ear. She wished she'd been allowed to wear makeup in her mother's house. "I'm glad you invited me out."

"I would have sooner if Ken hadn't kept this all from me." Yolie pouted. She hated to see the lost look in Sora's eyes, the fear that made her spine stiff and her fingertips twitch. "He's so insistent on keeping work and work and home at home, that he won't even tell me when a friend is in trouble. When I finally found out about the things that Matt did..."

Sora wrung her hands together. The few times Mrs. Satoshi had heard them arguing loud enough to call the police, Ken had always been the one to show up. Though he'd remained professional, she'd always wondered if he'd ever said anything to his wife. "What... What did he tell you?"

"Nothing," Yolie snapped. "I read the newspaper. I know Ken doesn't want me and the kids to know about the 'evils of the world', but to keep me so far in the dark?"

" _You never told me anything - I had to find it out from your father!"_

Sora shook her own words away. Matt had hidden things from her because he didn't want her to find out the awful things he'd been doing, Ken was surely keeping them from Yolie to spare her any trauma. He was doing it...

"It's only because he loves you," Sora told her friend quietly. "He's trying to protect you."

"But what about you?" Yolie reached across the table, taking Sora's hands in hers. "You're my friend too, you know. Who's going to protect you?"

Sora blushed. Despite working so hard, Yolie's hands were soft over hers. In the back of her mind, she knew there was someone who vowed to protect her, but with Yolie's perfume filling her nose, she couldn't focus on anyone else. "Th... The trial will be starting soon. And I know everyone is going to be on his side..."

Yolie didn't even have to think about it. This was her friend and she was in trouble. "I'll be there for you. Every day, I'll be by your side."

* * *

A/N: Oh my gosh everyone, I'm sorry about the wait~ This whole week got completely away from me! But don't worry – I should be back on track and back on schedule next week~


	6. Chapter 6

_I don't deserve to have you..._

* * *

"I have a bad feeling about all this," Joe said, watching Matt pull on the dark blue suit. The blonde's dumb hands fumbled with his tie, inspecting himself in the mirror closely, wondering if he should be bothered to cover his multitude of scars.

"You always have a bad feeling about everything," Matt grumbled. He patted down his hair to cover the bald patch above his ear. Joe had told him hair would grow back eventually, but right now he wasn't too sure. "The Digimon, the new Kids, my marriage..."

"And I was right about all of it, wasn't I?" Joe insisted. He was already dressed, ready for court since that afternoon. He wished briefly that his lover's trial would have started that morning, as Aiko would need his rest when they all came home that night. The boy was finishing his early dinner in the dining room, eating around a half-finished puzzle, insisting that he _had_ to be there to support his fathers.

"There'll be some things you might not want to hear," Joe had warned. _Some things_ I _don't want you to hear..._

"It doesn't matter," Aiko had said, enjoying his rice. "He's my Yamapapa, and as long as you're there, I'll be there, too."

Matt made a face, almost throwing his tie across the room. He knew he was innocent, why would his appearance make such a difference? Besides, there was a splash of TK's blood on the dark cloth from their fight in France. "Yeah, but you don't have to rub it in."

Joe sighed and grabbed the tie, walking to Matt to adjust it properly. "I'm just saying, you need to be careful. Cody wouldn't have called us all in to warn us for no reason." He stepped back and grabbed the matching jacket, despite the early summer heat. "So that means you need to be on your best behavior – no more getting into fights, ok?"

"If he would just listen to me..." Matt sighed, glancing at the bloodstain. "But he will. After all this, he _has_ to know I'm telling the truth."

Joe hugged his boyfriend close, unable to find the words Matt needed so desperately to hear. They clung to each other, taking what comforts they could from the other's presence, only parting when Aiko knocked on the door.

"Dad? Yamapapa? Aren't we going to be late?" the boy asked, adjusting his glasses. His vision was beginning to blur at the edges again, and he told himself he would wait until after the trial to tell his father to make an appointment. Joe didn't need the added stress of his son's optical problems on top of everything else.

"We might as well get this shi- uh," Matt glanced at Joe, who was glaring. Joe hated for Matt to cuss in front of Aiko, and the blonde was glad Aiko was smart enough to not repeat what Matt said when they were alone. " _Show_ on the road?" Joe nodded and Matt rolled his eyes, winking at Aiko who smiled. "And don't you worry, little buddy, when I get home, we'll finish that jungle puzzle. I promise."

"Yeah!"

* * *

The courthouse was like this huge, looming beast before him. The large glass windows reflected the late afternoon sunlight like a thousand eyes, the grand doors opening and shutting over and over at the top of a sharp-toothed staircase that spewed forth policemen, judges, the innocent and the guilty. Matt had passed the building by often enough, after all Joe only lived down the street from it, but now... Now he was the one dressed in his best. He was the one desperate to prove the truth, as buried as it always became.

He shoved his trembling hands roughly in his pockets to keep from reaching out for Joe, still convinced that someone, anyone, would call him out for his only chance at love being wrong. Aiko hovered uneasily by his father, picking up on Matt's tension. He saw the way the blonde man he'd come to love shied away from the security guards and copied it, pouting at the metal detectors that went off on Joe four times before they realized it was his shoes. Matt kept his shoulders stiff enough to ache and his hands clenched into fists, and Aiko felt his own body begin to hurt with the effort it took to be to stressed.

The trio met Cody in the empty hallway outside the closed door, the youngest Child greeting them with a thin-lipped smile, an expression that held no reassurance for any of them.

"When do we get this over with?" Matt asked right away. "I've been away from my children for too long."

"This evening will be opening statements," Cody spoke. "Gabriel and I will tell the jury what we hope to accomplish. After that is what's known as the prosecution's case-in-chief – all of Gabriel's witnesses will speak first."

"Who, _Sora_?" Matt grumbled, mostly to himself.

"Gabriel has managed to keep her roster to herself," Cody said as professionally as he could, but Joe could see the irritation in his eyes. It was in that moment that Joe realized just _knowing_ Matt's innocence wouldn't be enough – they would have to fight the whole way down. "Come on, we're needed inside."

Joe couldn't stop himself from giving Matt a tight hug, pressing his cheek to his lover's forehead for just a moment. The blonde closed his eyes, wishing desperately that he could go back in time, confess his love so much sooner and never have to go through this pain ever again. But then he remembered Hanako and Tsukuyomi, and realized that he would rather dredge this all up from childhood nightmares than ever go without their love.

"We'll be right there for you," Joe promised, putting his hand on Aiko's shoulder as the boy gave Matt a tight squeeze. "The whole way."

"I'll see you two later tonight," Matt promised, following Cody. They would enter the courtroom from the other side of the bar, face the jury and all their friends.

Joe hurried Aiko inside the courtroom, blinking at the steady buzz of noise that filled the tiny space. There were reporters sitting in the back rows, idly conversing with each other, friends before the media storm turned them against each other. There was the usual handful of old men, wasting their time watching others dramas before they moved on. And at the very front, behind the empty desk that would seat Cody and Matt, were the Chosen Children.

Mimi, blowing off her latest movie role so she could remain in Odaiba and support her friend, sat with Kari, their hands clasped together for comfort as the young bride gently ran her fingers through her youngest's blonde hair. Kazuki was leaning into his mother's side, looking to her in an effort not to acknowledge the young star to the other side. Russell, however, seemed to have no qualms trying to get Kazuki's attention, trying to whisper gentle reassurances to the blushing boy. Lucian, Kari's oldest son, was at the apartment babysitting Hanako and Tsukuyomi. Hanako had been throwing up with stress that morning and Tsukuyomi's stutter was so bad from just the thought of going to court, it was decided it was easier on the pair to just wait at home.

Tai sat directly behind the chair where Matt would sit, speaking quietly to his daughter, Jaciru, who was looking around the room in amazement. Her twin brother, Nakayama, pushed his bushy brown hair from his chocolate eyes, raising them just long enough to look to Joe and Aiko as they approached. Davis was on the other side of Izzy, the older redhead fiddling with the top button of his dress shirt that covered up an old scar, beaming as though nothing was wrong. Daimu, goggles in his lap out of respect for court and because his father knocked him on the back of the head until he took them off, was kicking his feet in his chair, just as assured of the outcome as his father.

It wasn't until Izzy gave him a tiny smile in greeting that Joe noticed it. On the other side of the room, behind where Gabriel was already sitting, looking bored, sat Sora, flanked by TK and Yolie. The brother sat with his arms crossed, every so often glancing across the rows of benches to his wife, silently demanding that she come back to him. Yolie, much more vocal than her friend, was loudly complaining about having to pay her daughter, Michiru, to watch her two sons, Osamu and Tatsuya, while Ken was busy at the station. She eagerly blamed Matt for everything and anything Sora could accuse him of, trying her best to support the woman she'd always admired.

Anger flared in the pit of Joe's stomach as he looked to the redheaded woman, stoically staring straight ahead. _She_ was the one who had been married to Matt for so many years, _she_ should be the first to know Matt's innocence. Instead, she was dragging him through the dirt, trying to expose his darkest secrets and deepest fears for all to see.

There was a slight commotion as the doors opened, Cody and Matt entering the room, sitting instantly at their desk. TK grumbled and looked to his feet, Yolie's complaining got louder, and Sora couldn't stop the tears from spilling over and down her cheeks. Tai leaned forward, reaching out with his cane to gently tap Matt on his shoulder.

"Don't worry, man," Tai said with a bright grin despite the shine to his eyes. "I swear, I'll be here every damn day for you. Wild Monochromon couldn't keep me away."

"Th... Thanks..." Matt swallowed hard, eyes flickering to Joe and Aiko. "It... really means a -"

"All rise," the bailiff called suddenly, calling forth a respective silence. "The Honorable Judge Catherine presiding."

It was an older woman who entered in the long black robes of a judge. Her hair was short and mousy blonde, hardened amber eyes looking over the court, catching momentarily on Tai as he struggled with his cane. The pain in the ex-soccer star's shattered leg would never go away, but he refused to live his life in the haze of painkillers.

Catherine took her seat and Gabriel immediately sprung to her feet. She approached the jury, meticulously culled down to older women, new mothers, and fathers with low expectations of today's youth. She was completely composed, looking like she'd ironed her black suit while wearing it for its lack of wrinkles. Her hair was brushed and combed to a beautiful shine, absorbing all light in it's heavily sprayed glory. Even her makeup refused to falter, deep red lipstick looking tattooed in place as she smiled a beautiful grin.

"What you see here before you," she began in her deep voice, commanding respect and demanding obedience with every syllable, "is a man you may recognize. Yamato Ishida was once a famous singer; he was indeed an intelligent student, and even managed to convince a young woman in the prime of her life to give in and marry him. However, that was all to cover up the depraved monster he truly is: a man who could molest a young, _ten_ year old girl. _His_ _own_ daughter. I intend to prove, beyond _any_ doubt, that Yamato caved into dark desires and destroyed the innocent life of Hanako Ishida."

Cody watched as Gabriel seated herself with all the grace of a queen, crossing her legs demurely, trying to act as though the case were so open-and-shut even a young girl could try it. He stood, pulling himself to the towering height and confident demeanor he'd inherited from his father.

"With a case like this," he said, using that voice he'd had since he was a child: wise beyond his years, as though he'd been thinking and mulling over every detail for years. "It's hard for a man to get a fair trial. It's hard for a man to get the respect he truly deserves. My opponent intends to lead you to where most would go – that because he's male, he's some kind of depraved fiend. But you must remember this: he's not just a 'man'. He is a father, a friend, a husband. He only has the best interests of his children in mind and he would rather _die_ than bring them any pain."

There was a solemn silence as Cody sat, already his own words and confidence seating themselves in the minds of the jury. Judge Catherine spoke, looking directly to Gabriel who was hiding a sneer, "Call your first witness, Mrs. Dolphinus."


	7. Chapter 7

_My smile was taken long ago_

 _If I can change I hope I never know_

* * *

"I call Mrs. Takenouchi to the stand," Gabriel announced.

Matt made a face, watching as his mother-in-law walked to the podium, head held high despite her mortification. It wasn't like he hadn't expected her to show up, it was rather obvious now that she would come out to defend her daughter, but he still didn't like it. The way she'd always looked at him, like he was nothing more than spit on the sidewalk. Something to avoid at all costs, something that had cost her the only thing she cared about.

Toshiko had been sure to dress in her most formal kimono, pulling her graying hair into a tight bun. Her makeup was delicately applied, forcing her to keep her expression neutral if she wanted to remain visible. Even more than she detested having her affairs made public, she hated not looking properly prepared. She lowered herself gracefully into the chair, holding her nose high as she touched the dusty leather of an ancient Bible. She swore, though not to TK's Christian God but on the souls of her ancestors, to tell the truth.

"Will you please inform the court as to how you know Mr. Ishida?" Gabriel began, standing beside the woman.

Toshiko pursed her lips. She would rather have claimed to not know the disgusting man before her, but by this point, she was out of room to run. "He is my son-in-law."

"When you spent time with the defendant in his home, what did you observe?"

"He avoids my daughter, staying out until late every day. When he _does_ come home, he goes straight to his children and ignores Sora. She has to drag him away to get his attention." Her words reminded Matt of his own father, and wished desperately that the man was in the courtroom instead of stuck at work.

"How does he interact with her?"

"They always argue, even in front of the children. My daughter is a wonderful mother and all that man does is bring her down."

"So you would say he was distant?" Gabriel smiled as she asked, enjoying the way the jury was already eyeing Matt, associating their own family lives with his distinct lack of.

"Of course."

"What about the kids? How was he with Hanako and Tsukuyomi?"

"He is always around them. He ignores everything around him for the children, especially his wife."

"The people rest," Gabby said and returned to her seat.

Cody stood and approached the stand. He lingered for a moment before the traditional woman, taking in her very essence. It reminded him somewhat of his own grandfather, long since passed, and he wished that Toshiko could have seen reason just as he always had.

"Mrs. Takenouchi, can you please tell me the last time you visited your daughter's home?"

There was a slight hesitation before Toshiko admitted flippantly, "It couldn't be more than a year before Yamato... _left_ my daughter."

"And how often did you visit back then?"

"Less than twice a month. Sometimes once every two months."

"And in that time, how often did you actually _see_ Yamato?" Cody asked, giving his own quick glance to the jury. The hardened eyes of the mothers Gabriel had fought for weren't any kinder.

Toshiko pursed her lips. "Once. Twice, maybe. When he knew I was coming by, he avoided me."

"And in those few instances, how long were you in the home while Yamato was there?"

"I left almost immediately. He makes a very hostile environment while I'm around."

Cody sat and once again Gabby stood, beginning another round of dizzying questions in her cross examination."Why did you leave so quickly? Wouldn't you want to make sure your daughter is safe?"

"He always begins arguments with me, and I feel it is not my place to indulge him in his rage."

"What is it you two argued about?"

"His financial responsibilities. He always claimed to be working late at night, but I never believed him for a moment. Otherwise, he would be able to handle the financial strain of a family." She looked straight to Matt, lip curling as much as it could under the delicate powder hiding her wrinkles.

Matt could feel the glower twisting his face. What right did she have to say he was incapable of supporting his children? When he had given up so much, worked so hard for them? He wanted to stand up, to accuse Toshiko of not knowing a damn thing about him.

But then Cody placed a gentle hand on his shoulder, a comforting warning that allowed Matt to sit up straighter, to try and prove he was better than that old woman.

"How so?"

"I myself have to contribute over half their rent every month." Matt glared, but Toshiko ignored him. "I refuse to believe he works so long since he never brings home a good wage. It is only a man of his caliber that would rely on his aging mother-in-law to support a family _he_ created."

Cody once more exchanged the floor with Gabriel, asking, "Does Yamato know that you're assisting in their finances?"

Toshiko gave a small chuckle, as though the answer should have been obvious, "Of course not."

"Does he even know the full value of his own apartment?"

"No, it is not his place." Toshiko drew herself up to her full height. She knew how men were, she knew what they wanted and what would happen if they got it. She'd always warned Sora not to give in, otherwise he would run off to the ends of the earth with some young boy from his class... "It is the _wife's_ job to keep her home and that includes the finances. Men have no right to know how a woman handles her money."

"Are you aware that Yamato owns Suiichi's Auto Garage?"

Still angry at her husband, Toshiko frowned. Her soft, powdery cheeks flaked as she said simply, "I don't care."

"Are you aware that Yamato makes _more_ than enough to cover the rent and the rest of the bills?" Cody pressed.

"I don't care." Toshiko wanted to touch her face, to cover the makeup that was falling away with her womanly fury. But that would admit that she was falling apart, and she would rather die first.

Cody lingered for a moment, wanting to ask the elder Takenouchi if she needed a moment to calm down. He could see the shine of anger in her eyes, an unknowing reflection of his client's as they both silently screamed at each other their own worth. A husband versus a mother, and neither one, Cody realized as he moved back to sit, would ever back down.

Gabby stood with a stern, "Redirect, your honor."

She walked to Toshiko, ignoring Cody completely as she asked loudly, "Yamato has been in trouble with the police before, hasn't he?"

Toshiko nodded. The strange light in her eyes could have been tears as she remembered the incident. "He attacked my daughter when they were in middle school."

"Objection," Cody declared suddenly and Matt jumped a little. He hadn't expected the man to cry out so loudly. "Mrs. Takenouchi never pressed charges against Yamato. In fact, she sent the police _away_ that night after they showed up."

"They were still called out," Gabriel argued. "Mrs. Takenouchi was merely concerned about public appearances should she press the matter."

Judge Catherine held up her hand to still Gabriel's words. "It seems then that there was no immediate danger to her daughter. I will allow it."

Gabriel ran her tongue over her teeth, blinking slowly. "No further questions, your honor."

The judge looked to Cody, who repeated Gabriel's words. Catherine raised her gavel solemnly as Sora leaned forward, whispering to the dark lawyer across the bar. "Then we are dismissed for the evening."

"Your Honor!" Gabriel called loudly, shooting up out of her seat. Cody and Matt looked at her suspiciously as her lips curled into a delighted grin.

"Yes, Mrs. Dolphinus?" Catherine asked, still holding the gavel. She was used to the attorney's last-ditch efforts, and was prepared for whatever she was to say.

"I have just been informed that Mr. Ishida's current residence is in fact _not_ his father's apartment in Odaiba as the police have on file."

"Oh?" Catherine lowered her gavel, briefly eyeing Cody. "And _you_ know his current whereabouts?"

"Apparently," Gabriel said, taking an obvious pleasure in telling the judge, "he is living in Koto with his lover. _And_ his twelve year old son, despite the restrictions of his bail."

Catherine blinked. "Is this true?"

Cody sputtered, standing and saying quickly, "I-It is, your Honor. However, the police have been informed and a specialist has seen to the child's well-being. It was determined that Yamato's presence has had no ill-effect on the boy, and there have been no complaints out of him or his father."

"I don't care," Catherine said and Matt swallowed hard, dread filling the pit of his stomach. The judge leaned forward, glaring and saying with calm fury, "The police should _know_ that is a direct violation of his bail. And _shame_ on whoever it was that forgot to update his file – I'll be sure to inform the police chief of this gross oversight.

"I am hereby revoking the defendant's bail. He is to be remanded in jail until the completion of this trial." The gavel finally fell, the sound echoing in the suddenly uproarious courtroom.

"This is bullshit!" Tai yelped as the judge called for order, and even Izzy couldn't find it to chastise his husband for cursing. He grabbed his cane and tried to haul himself to his unstable feet. "You can't just pull that crap!"

Not sure what had happened, but loving to follow in her father's outrages, Jaciru wriggled and repeated loudly, "Not fair!"

Izzy tried to calm his redheaded daughter and Nakayama shied away, blushing in embarrassment for his twin. Behind them Mimi was wailing loudly into Kari's shoulder, looking for all the world that her cat had just died. Russell even ignored Kazuki as he tried to reassure his mother. The young blonde boy hurried across the courtroom to his father, stoically supporting Sora.

"Dad," he asked TK solemnly. "What's happening?"

"Your _uncle_ ," TK spat the word, as though it were a curse, "is finally going to go where he deserves."

Aiko tugged desperately at Joe sleeve, looking from stunned father to stunned father and asking, "What does that mean? Yamapapa's coming home with us, isn't he?"

Joe opened his mouth, but he couldn't find the words. He set his hand on Aiko's head, looking to Matt who was pleading silently with Cody.

"Matt, I -"

"Mr. Ishida?" the two bailiffs were standing there suddenly, and one had his handcuffs out as he asked Matt to stand. "You're to come with us."

"But, Cody," Matt whispered, automatically turning around. He didn't want to fight with the court officers, not when there was surely a mistake. "Cody, you said I could go home."

"I'll talk to Ken," Cody promised. "I'll try and get him to talk to Gabriel, but..."

His unspoken words were enough. Matt hung his head to hide his shimmering eyes as he was taken away.

"No, Yamapapa!" Aiko tried to run to the front of the courtroom. If he could reach the man in time, surely the police would remember that Matt didn't deserve to be in those cuffs. But Joe held him back, hands tight on his shoulders.

"Aiko, you have to stay here," Joe said. Aiko twisted around, looking up to his father. The man's eyes were shining behind his glasses, tears falling unchecked down his cheeks.

"But Yamapapa promised to come home – we have a puzzle to finish!" The boy's outburst was something Joe had never had to deal with before, Aiko always being so calm and polite over any slight. He wasn't having a full-on tantrum, Joe was pretty sure Aiko had no idea _how_ to have one, but it was still unsettling.

"Calm down," Joe insisted. He swallowed hard and looked around, trying to find anything that would him. That was when he saw Sora standing, hurrying out of the room, ignoring TK and Yolie. His hands shook and he could only think, _This is her fault_. "Stay here," he instructed Aiko. "Stay with the Izumi's."

Tai and Izzy looked like they weren't paying attention, but Joe knew they would figure out soon enough that they had an extra charge. He pushed through the throng of people slowly meandering from the last case of the night who were debating whether to go home or to the bar, apologizing without meaning it whenever he stepped on a toe or knocked an elbow. He had to get to Sora, know what had possessed her to whisper to the she-Devil.

She was standing in the hallway, arms wrapped around herself. Her shoulders were quivering, and her cheeks were wet, but Joe couldn't bring himself to care. He pushed away the part of him that cared about all of his old friends, yelling at the wife, "What the hell is your problem?!"

Sora's head snapped up. For a moment, she looked like she didn't recognize this person screaming at her. She reached up to wipe her tears away, and that hardened expression he was becoming so familiar with slammed down over her features. "What are you talking about, _Dr._ Kido?"

Her lack of respect for his title only drove his anger further. " _That_! In there! What could you possibly gain from Matt being in jail?!" He could see a court officer approaching, wondering about the shouting, and wisely kept his arms stiff at his sides.

"Me?" Sora snapped, having no qualms with bringing her fists to her chest defensively. "I don't care what happens to _me_!" She huffed angrily, an ugly pout twisting her lips. "I seem to be the only person in this whole damn building that's thinking of the children!"

"Obviously not yours," Joe snapped without thinking. "Otherwise you wouldn't have dragged them through this mess."

"I'm doing the only thing I can to protect my children," Sora insisted. "And _yours_ , Kido."

Joe sputtered. "W-what are you -"

"Look, man," came a sudden voice and Joe looked over. Approaching, even before the court officer, was a barely familiar man. His natural red hair had been bleached, redyed to a vibrant kool-aide cherry to create an odd, but interesting, two-tone that fell, unwashed, to his shoulders. His ears, nose, and eyebrows were pierced with a variety of rings and studs, and, even despite the formal suit, Yutaka would never stop looking like the drummer for the once-popular Teenage Wolves. "Do we have problem here?"

"She put my boyfriend in _jail_ ," Joe insisted. "So, yeah, we do."

Yutaka walked straight up to Joe, not intimidated by the doctor's height. He placed himself directly between Joe and Sora, asking flatly, "How often have you left Yamato alone with _your_ son, huh? How many times have you come home and felt that something was off?"

Joe opened his mouth to insist, _Never!_

But the word wouldn't come. Gods help him, he thought suddenly to that night before flying to France. The fear that had once crept up in him at Cody's very words.

 _"He has a kid, too. We shouldn't even be letting Yamato stay_ here _... Do you think it's because of Aiko?"_

"If anything," Yutaka continued, delighting in Joe's stunned silence, "you should be _thanking_ Sora for protecting your kid from a monster like that, not trying to fucking assault her."

"Matt is _not_ a monster," Joe hissed. He turned to the courtroom doors, seeing Izzy finally leading a crying Aiko towards him. He reached out and his son hurried to his embrace. "Even if that's all _you_ can see, Sora."


	8. Chapter 8

_I still press your letters to my lips_

 _And cherish them in parts of me that savor every kiss_

* * *

Kari stood in the bathroom, applying the last of her lipstick. She'd brushed her long hair flat, leaving it loose, and dressed in her most formal outfit. _Another day of court_ , she thought with an already weary sigh. Just outside the open door, Kazuki was already wrinkling his Easter suit while Lucian relaxed in a pair of ratty, grass-stained jeans and a tank top, both children taking turns messing with an irritated cat.

"Boys," Kari called distractedly, "be careful with Mr. Tinkles. She's not in the mood."

But her warning came too late and Lucian yelped as the cat sliced into his hand. He shoved his knuckle in his mouth, pressing his tongue against the thin cut. Kazuki, ever sensitive to his brother's pain, just laughed at him as Mr. Tinkles ran to hide under the couch.

Kari shook her head and sighed. "What did I tell you? Lucian, come here."

"It's not that bad," the thirteen year old whined. "Just a little scratch."

"Cat claws are disgusting," Kari said sternly, reaching for the first aid kit. "Get it cleaned up before it gets infected."

Lucian made a face at the alcohol swabs Kari pulled out, but he obediently began cleaning as his mother stepped out into the hallway. Kazuki, bored without an animal or brother to play with, was already looking to his room to find something to do. He bit his lip and wondered if Tsukuyomi was up to playing a game with him before he left. The redhead was slowly pulling into himself, replacing his nervous stutter with a sullen silence. At least Hanako made noises still, even if they usually were loud and followed by throwing something. He wanted to tell his blonde cousin that he felt like that sometimes too, especially after he had nightmares about his grandmother's odd touch.

"TK?" Kari called. She didn't see her husband anywhere, and he was always a stickler for being on time. "Hurry up, TK, or we'll be late."

Still without an answer, Kari shooed Kazuki away from his room, the closed door locking off her charges from their cousin/babysitter. There was a deep pulse of base coming from the crack at the bottom of the door as Tsukuyomi tried to find the music he could disappear into and Kari was sure that she'd have to get a new sketchbook for Hanako to fill by the time she came home. Along with psychological counseling, the children were encouraged to find some way to express themselves and, being the children of artistic parents, they quickly gravitated to the Arts.

"TK?" Kari knocked on the door to her husband's study. Usually, if she couldn't find him, he was locked away in the dark room, furiously scribbling something to send out later. The doorknob turned easily under her hand and Kari was glad TK hadn't locked the door. "You in here?"

TK was sitting at his desk with the lights out, like usual, but he was wearing jeans and a polo, definitely not what he planned to wear to court. He was looking at his computer screen, but nothing was open and his angelic-themed background glowed peacefully at him. "What do you want, Kari?"

The young woman twisted her lips and put her hands on her hips. "Let's go. If you hurry and get dressed now, we should make it on time."

But TK shook his head. "No, Kari."

"You're right," Kari sighed. "We'll be late no matter how fast you get dressed."

"That's not it." TK finally looked to his wife, a cold fire in his eyes that had been building since he was twelve. "I mean, we're not going."

"Excuse me?" Kari blinked, wondering if she'd heard correctly.

"You're going to stay home with me. Kazuki too. We're not going back to listen to any more of that man's lies." Kari sputtered and TK stood, brushing past her to look for his youngest son. "Kazuki?"

The blonde child, lost in thoughts of Tsukuyomi that for some reason turned to thoughts of Russell, blushed and looked up. There was a tone to his father's voice and he wondered if the tall man he loved had some way of reading his mind. Before he could answer his summons, however, Kari snapped as she always did: quietly and politely.

"What are you talking about, TK?" Kari hid the flash of anger in her eyes from her child by turning her back to him just so. "'Not going'? It's your brother's _trial_ , for God's sake. He needs our support!"

"What he _needs_ ," TK hissed and Kazuki unconsciously fell back a step at the buried rage, "is to take some responsibility for the things he's said and how they affect other people. He can't keep lying to everyone his whole life. And, as my wife, I expect you to obey."

"'To _obey_ '?" Kari resisted the urge to slug her husband. When had he become this horrible? She wished she'd been paying more attention to their priest and what the man had been twisting the Word of God to say. She took and breath and resisted a glare. "I may be your wife, but I am _not_ your servant. I will do as I wish, and I wish to go to Matt's trial. If you don't want to go, that's _your_ decision and I will respect it as long as you respect mine."

Without waiting for her husband's response, Kari turned on her heel and left TK in darkness of his work room. She gave Kazuki a tired smile to reassure him and patted his hair back gently. "I'll be home later tonight. Help Lucian take care of your cousins for me."

Kazuki nodded quietly as he watched his mother leave. A warm blush dusted his cheeks for some reason when he realized he would now have all day to encourage his cousin to come out of his shell.

* * *

Sora clung to Yutaka when they met up outside the door. She was glad Matt was locked up inside, so to speak, so he had yet to discover them together. (Sora blushed at the thought. Were they really together at this point? Like she should have been with Matt, except Yutaka never made her fear anything.) She had been dreading her almost-ex's temper when he found out, especially because Yutaka had a similar temper. But Yutaka did it because he loved everyone so much - Matt just hated everything and everyone, and for that Sora despised him.

"You'll be right inside, won't you?"

"Of course."

Sora took a deep breath as she was called for her summons. She headed inside, looking out into the sea of her family and friends and she couldn't tell who was on whose side. Particularly, she knew TK was on her side and she wondered where he was. Kari was there, once more behind Joe who was behind Matt, but her husband and children seemed to be missing.

Sora swore herself in and sat. Gabriel approached, a gentle smile marring her perfectly set features.

"Sora, you and Yamato have been married for how long?"

"Twelve years." As old as poor Hanako was.

"How would you describe your marriage with him?"

"He's difficult. Cold. Distant," Sora felt the words tumble out of her mouth. The same ones from their first Valentine's together. She felt a shock against the tip of her tongue as a light turned on in her mind. Had things been this bad, that long?

"But he's not always like that. When you do talk, how is he?"

"He ignores me, except when I yell. It's the only way I can get him to listen. I guess that's the only way he learned to communicate when he was a child-"

"Objection. Speculation," Cody interrupted. "Mrs. Ishida never lived with Yamato when he was young, she would have no idea how he was raised."

 _Short and simple, Sora,_ she reminded herself as the judge agreed. She glanced over to Matt for the first time since she entered the room. Had he always looked so haggard? Were his hands shaking with anger or sadness? She didn't care. She had to remember why she was there—for Hanako. Her safety meant more than a broken heart and ruined friendships.

"How does Yamato interact with the children?"

"He's always around them. Even at night, he goes into their room and I can hear crying."

Gabriel had rehearsed this so many times, so when her testimony came up, the answers were quick and easy. When Cody redirected, though, she knew he could be just as heartless as Matt in the courtroom. He had been such a quiet boy, like Matt, but now he was a raving zealot for pedophiles and murderers.

Cody stood now as Gabriel sat. He strolled over, giving her a look. One that was _accusing_. Sora pursed her lips, _You should be giving that glare to the person who needs accusing._

"You heard crying," Cody repeated slowly, carefully. "Who was crying?"

Sora frowned. "I couldn't tell."

"Has Yamato done anything to your children?"

"Of course! That's why I'm here!"

"Did you ever _see_ anything 'inappropriate' take place?" Cody demanded. The tone was an onslaught and Sora resented him for it.

"No... but a mother knows," she stated, remembering similar words from her own mother.

"So, we're supposed to believe in the concept of motherly intuition..." Cody shrugged, looking at the jury. Sora continued to glare at him as he continued.

Matt couldn't smile anymore, but he would have. For once, in a short, vindictive moment, he was happy because Sora knew what it was like to be _accused_. How many times had he thought of just strangling her? Now Cody was doing just as well.

"Are the kids scared of him?" the lawyer pressed

"No, but then-"

"Just yes or no, is fine," Cody said quickly. "Are the kids scared of you?"

"I don't believe so. Maybe when I'm angry."

"You fight in front of your children?" _Really?_ Sora could hear him mentally ask that last part.

"I don't try to."

"But they hear you fight?"

"Sometimes!" Sora barked, exasperated. She was a single mother, even when she was married. She couldn't drop the children off constantly, she couldn't keep them from _hearing_ , and she couldn't keep them watched over when she was dealing with a drunken ashtray.

"Does Yamato initiate your fights?" Cody was standing next to Matt now, acting as though the blonde was the one being hurt by these questions. As though _he_ was the one who needed protecting.

"Not often..." Sora sighed, composing herself. _If he wasn't a rapist, I would say he cares about the kids more than himself... but we all know what he is._ I _know what he really is!_

"Did you ever see him hurt anyone else?" Cody pressed.

"He's been in some fistfights." She tried to think, to remember any particular ones, but she only knew the rumors she had been told. "He's attacked me."

"Has he ever touched you in a way that made you uncomfortable?"

Sora frowned at the flippant dismissal of her own trauma. "Once... again, when he attacked _me."_

"When was that?"

"Christmas, 2004." She would never forget.

"What happened?"

"We went to a love hotel. He was drunk and tried to rape me."

Matt felt his blood boil. He turned to Cody and hissed, "She tried to rape _me_ -! She's lying..."

Cody nodded and quieted him before the judge got on to them. The last thing he needed was his client in contempt.

"Have you ever seen him _molest_ anyone?"

"Yes." Sora pulled herself up in confidence. "His brother."

A rumble of noise washed over the courtroom, almost drowned out by the furious scribbling of the reporters as they made sure to cling to Sora's every word. Matt almost bit through his tongue to keep from screaming at Sora. He had _never_ done anything to his brother – hell, he'd left the boy _alone_ for three months at an abandoned amusement park just to make sure he didn't! Anything she said would only be some new lie against him.

Cody kept himself from frowning. Matt would have told him anything that had happened, surely. "When and where did this take place?"

"In the, uh..." Sora wondered how to word it. Somehow, "in the deserts of the Digital World while looking for Tai" didn't seem the appropriate thing to say. "At, at _Summer Camp_ , when we were just kids."

"What did Yamato do to his brother?"

Sora shuddered with the memory, still seeing the older blonde leaning over his younger brother. Still seeing that hungry look in his eyes every night as he dragged them from one end of Server to the other. "He was kissing him. Not the way family does."

"Did you ever see this happen again?"

"No." She'd left the next night. There was no telling what he'd done when she was gone.

"How sure are you of what you saw?"

"Your Honor," Gabriel intervened. "My client knows what she saw."

"Withdrawn," Cody breathed before Judge Catherine could say anything. "Did Takeru ever tell anyone about it?"

Sora shook her head. "Not that I know."

"No further questions, Your Honor," Cody said.

Gabriel and Cody exchanged a glance as they changed places once more. She enjoyed a good challenge and expected as much from one of the best defense attorneys around. She clasped her hands behind her back and stood between Sora and Matt's line of vision. She didn't want Sora cracking.

"He didn't initiate the fighting," the prosecutor began, "but he _did_ initiate the divorce, didn't he?"

"Yes. I..." Sora wrung her hands together, twisting the silver band that still sat on her finger. She'd wanted to pawn it the moment Matt was admitted to the hospital, but her mother would never have approved. "I didn't know what to think. Since we were kids, all he ever said was that he would never let that happen."

"You and your husband argue, but you must resolve some issues?"

"Yes, when we weren't fighting about them."

"How?"

Sora hesitated. How? She wasn't sure. They just... got tired of the fighting and ignored the issue like any other couple. Right?

"Please answer, Mrs. Ishida."

Then she really thought about it. "When I got sick of it, I would just badger him until he gave in, but that's _all_ I could do-!"

Matt tapped his shaking fingers. He anxiously wanted a cigarette. And a drink. _All you could do? Why not just talk to me? Right. Maybe that was my fault. This doesn't excuse anything, though, Sora. You're still nowhere near the girl I knew. But then, I'm not the boy you fell in love with. Haven't been for a long time._

"I understand," Gabriel smiled, putting more of herself between Sora and the room. "No one's asked: Are _you_ scared of your husband?"

"Yes." Sora couldn't help the tears that welled in her eyes and she blinked them away quickly. Every argument they'd ever had echoed in her mind, crescendoing into that final gunshot. "I had to defend myself."

"Why not go to the police?"

"I couldn't. My mother wouldn't allow it."

"Do you always do what your mother wants?"

"No, I mean..." Her hands were shaking, like they had that night. There was a phantom throbbing across the bridge of her nose, behind her eye, and she was certain she saw a flash of bruising on her wrists. "When I was attacked, I wanted to go to the police. Mother said it wasn't appropriate. I don't think it's necessary to let the kids see something like that."

Matt's expression was blank, but inside he was fighting every urge to steal the bailiff's gun and shoot himself again. His mind drifted to his children and he let a whimper escape through. Cody whispered to him, that everything would be fine. He needed to relax. Things were only going to get worse from here on out, but he would get his chance to defend himself. He had to be patient and Cody sighed, too – Matt being patient was like putting up a fight with a toddler to take a bath; they were going to kick and scream the entire way.

"Sora, tell us why you think Yamato hurt Hanako?"

"Because," Sora set her lips as she thought back to their first fight, the one that had started everything. She had to be strong, not just for herself, but for her children. "Yamato is a victim of molestation, from his _own_ mother. She raped _him_ and now it's the only way he knows how to interact with children."

Once more, the disbelieving gasps of his friends were drowned out by excited whispers of the reporters. Matt lowered his head and tried to swallow the sudden lump that formed in his throat. It was official – everyone knew now. He pulled his fists into his lap, hands shaking wore than they ever had, nails biting into his flesh. There was no way he could face his friends ever again, his family ever again. They would only see what everyone else saw, what classmates, neighbors, even the police saw – a young boy _lucky_ enough to sleep with a hot, older woman. A dumb kid who shouldn't make up such lies for attention. A child who had no idea what he was talking about, so please stop interrupting class time.

Matt almost jumped out of his skin when he felt something hard tap him on the back of the head. He looked over his shoulder and, through his tears, he saw Tai smiling at him. Mouthing the words, "We're still here."

Matt jerked his head forward, trying to focus on the desk in front of him. Could he really believe it? Surely the brunette hadn't heard Sora correctly, or else he wouldn't be so calm, so supportive.

Cody, to his credit, hid his surprise very well as the dance continued, and he was in front of Sora again. Things were growing so tiresome, every surprise announcement more exhausting than shocking. Sora looked to the back of the room where Yutaka was sitting, arms crossed. He was glaring like sun through a magnifying glass, into the back of her almost-ex-husband's head.

Carefully worded, so as not to offend his client, Cody asked, "You think just because Yamato was a victim that he would have the audacity to do this to his own children?"

"It happens all the time!" Sora cried. _You told me so yourself!_ she wanted to add.

"Still, you never _saw_ anything take place. The kiss you witnessed between Takeru and Yamato could have been innocent—you don't even remember anymore, do you?"

Sora fumed and Matt managed a tired smile at her frustration. "Clear as day!"

"Your Honor, I would like to introduce new evidence that _proves_ the defendant is guilty," Gabriel interrupted, standing. Cody turned to look at her and backed away as she presented evidence. He warily eyed the object—a rape kit.

"Defense wasn't even notified, your Honor!" Cody barked, losing his own temper.

"Your client was aware that the rape kit took place," Gabriel argued. A quick glance at Matt showed no signs of recognition and Cody opened his mouth to argue that he _hadn't_ been aware, but he was rushed over. "Also, it's followed the chain of custody and has been at the police station for days now."

Judge Catherine nodded solemnly. "She's right, Mr. Hida. Be on the ball next time."

Cody felt himself beginning to sweat. Matt wouldn't... lie to him? God, how he hated liars. Everyone was so _sure_ that Matt didn't do this, but Cody... How well did he know the blonde? He thought back to his own doubts, long before Nancy's funeral. But no. None of that mattered. He was here to defend him.

"This is a rape kit done for Hanako Ishida," Gabriel said, savoring each word like caviar. She looked straight to the blonde and practically purred, "Fibers, fluids, and hairs _all_ matching the defendant were positively identified."

"What the Hell?" Matt breathed. He felt his entire body freeze over and panic overwhelm him. He turned back to Tai and Joe - it wasn't true! It wasn't true! He could feel his eyes tearing up. There just had to be something, anything...

Sora released the breath she held and had to admit. Part of her was shocked. The rape kit was positive. She was right. She _knew_ she was right! She gave a confident smile. "I told you, he's a monster!" she declared.

"It's a lie, it's not true... why won't anyone believe me...?" Matt cried, tears streaming down his face. He could feel Tai's cane pressing on his back, reassuring him. Cody and Gabriel were arguing after approaching the Judge, but things seemed worthless, pointless. Matt wasn't even sure he believed himself anymore. What if he hadn't even been aware of what he was doing? What if he was simply going mad? He couldn't even think anymore as blood returned to his veins. He couldn't feel the anger he so desperately needed now to keep himself in check. He was falling apart, he couldn't breathe.

 _I'm not a monster like her...!_ he screamed internally, unable to call forth the words.

"Prosecution rests," Gabriel said with a warm sigh, like she was settling into a comfortable robe. She was almost tempted to call off the rest of her witnesses and end the trial then and there – there was no way she could lose now. But she couldn't resist continuing to strike when he was down. Everything from here on out would only be the icing on the cake.

The judge looked to Cody who could no longer look at Matt. "Defense rests, Your Honor."

Judge Catherine raised her gavel and spoke solemnly, "We'll take an hour recess for lunch. We'll reconvene at one-thirty."

Sora was released from the stand with the terrifyingly familiar sound of a bang that made her jump, and she raised her head high. Everything she'd known was right, there was nothing to bring her down. Everyone knew the disgusting things Matt had done and, once they were over their shock, would finally believe her. She walked from the courtroom, secure in the knowledge that this ordeal was going to be over soon.


	9. Chapter 9

_I couldn't face a life without your lights_

 _But all of that was ripped apart when you refused to fight_

* * *

"I can't believe it," Tai whispered, still sitting on the bench just outside the courtroom. Despite being called a "lunch break" not many had found the strength to eat. His hands were resting on his cane, gripping it tight enough to practically crack the aged wood. He looked into the golden shine of his wedding ring, suddenly missing Izzy. The redhead had wisely decided to take Jaciru and Nakayama to his parents for the rest of the afternoon. Jaciru had been getting agitated, picking up on her father's discomfort and Tai was worried the spunky little girl would curse out the judge. His younger twin, Nakayama, had left the courtroom asking Izzy what Sora had meant by "molested". Tai certainly wasn't envying his husband right about then.

"I know, right?" There was a soft sigh and Mimi sat heavily next to Tai, kicking out her legs. Her son, Russell, had long since gone to get lunch with his "Auntie Kari" and probably continue to bug her about her missing son. She gave a tired sigh as she thought about her son which led to thinking about Matt. "I always knew something was off when we were kids, but not anything like _that_..."

Nothing like what had happened to her. She thought back to that night, eleven years ago, when she woke up. Blood between her legs, pain so deep inside she wanted to throw up. She'd been crying as she picked up her phone, calling the first person that came to mind.

" _Matt, I... I think I was just raped..."_

His silence then made so much sense now. What had her words triggered in his mind back then? What had _her_ trauma made _him_ relive? Mimi wrapped her arms around herself, glad that she was a woman. Glad that she could be on the receiving end of such love and support for "overcoming" her ordeal. It was obvious, now, that her dear ex-fake-boyfriend had never been given such warmth.

Tai sat back, smiling at his old friend who had long since learned to mask when she was thinking of her manager and what he'd done. The woman had grown, sure, but she had never changed from the strong-willed girl that had faced three Trashmon without fear. "He's strong, but an _idiot."_ Tai shrugged as Mimi fixed him with a glare. "He _knew_ he could have come to any of us and what did he decide to do? Go be a drunken whore and escape to space? Man, after this trial, I'm going to beat the hell outta him."

Mimi was able to laugh then, a warm noise that had made the world over swoon. Even Tai could admit that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, at least until Izzy came back. "I'm sure that bastard will appreciate it."

There was a soft noise from the end of the hall, and Tai looked up to see his husband returning, Kari and Russell at his side. Tai gave his once-brunette friend a smile and she shooed him away.

"I can't ever win when it comes to boys," Mimi said with a wry smile. "So go, go be with your family."

She waved at Tai as he limped away, catching his husband in a hug that betrayed how worried he really was for his friend. She leaned back against the bench and sighed, looking to the ornate ceiling of the courthouse. There had been some reporters, breakaways from Matt's trial who had tried to interview her, but she refused them all. There was nothing for _her_ to add, this was all about Matt.

"Mimi..." came a familiar voice, soft and yet with a peculiar edge to it. The woman blinked and looked back down, meeting Sora's troubled, fearful eyes.

For a moment, the actress wondered what to do. This girl, woman now, had been such a wonderful friend when they were kids. How could she do what she was doing now?

"Yes, Sora?" Mimi decided on. It was polite, but not unfriendly.

Sora swallowed hard and extended her hand. There was a blue paper in it and Sora said with a soft blush, "Here. It's from Gabriel."

Mimi barely had time to grab the paper, much less read it before Sora hurried away to a tall, pierced redhead who looked incredibly familiar. She blinked honey brown eyes and was just opening her delivery when the bailiff emerged from the courtroom, announcing that lunch was ending. Russell hurried to his mother, hugging her tight and asking, "What's that?"

"I don't know yet," Mimi answered, but she went with the crowd. Matt was at his desk again (or was it still? Had _he_ left for lunch?) and Cody seemed rather agitated. She found her seat next to Davis and pulled Russell close, wondering if he _really_ knew what "molested" meant. Sure, he'd played the part of an abused boy on a made-for-TV-movie once, but she wasn't sure if anyone had properly explained the term to him aside the director telling him it was "a bad thing that makes you sad". It was then that Judge Catherine had Gabriel announce her next witness.

"I call Mimi Tachikawa to the stand."

At the sound of her name, Mimi looked up sharply, realizing suddenly that the paper Sora had handed her was a subpoena. There was a pause, the courtroom quiet, and it was when Gabriel twisted her lips into a smile that Mimi understood. There was no point to her being called other than to continue to destroy Matt. Well, she wouldn't let that happen. No matter whose side she was called up for, she wouldn't drag Matt down any further than he already was. She patted Russell comfortingly and strode to the stand with all confidence.

Matt couldn't even look up as the words invaded his mind. He was still reeling from Sora's announcement of his molestation and the pull he could feel from Cody ever since that damn rape kit had shown up. He wanted to get up, to scream that he had done nothing, but it was slowly turning into his mother's trial. He wouldn't be believed, again, and the woman he was growing to hate would get away with everyone's sympathy. It wasn't until _this_ woman, hair long and pink once more, passed by him to be sworn in that he could even being to think about the present. _Mimi? But if Gabriel called her... She's testifying_ against _me?_

Every eye was on her as she sat, but Mimi was used to an audience. She was also used to fighting for what she believed in. None of this phased her. She had seen the fear in Sora just moments ago, and that only proved Mimi's assumption that this entire thing was one giant hoax.

As she waited to be sworn in, she thought about her tour with Matt and all the things she had gone through with him... suddenly why he couldn't speak to anyone and his actions, as inexcusable as they were, made sense to her.

If Sora had seen him hurt TK, Mimi knew she would have known. In the early days, she spent more time with the kid than anyone else. If anything, he _worshiped_ his brother... before it was replaced with someone's twisted interpretation of God's word.

Gabriel was up first. Mimi put on her poker face and tossed her hair back.

"Your name." Not even a question, just a mere statement. As though Gabriel was already bored with her. Well, Mimi wouldn't let herself be shaken.

"Mimi Tachikawa."

"Tell us, how do you know the defendant?"

"We originally met at..." Mimi frowned. Well, Sora _had_ given them an excuse... "Summer Camp and became friends. Later, after he formed the band Teen-Age Wolves, we toured together. During that time, we were dating."

"Dating..." It was as though Gabriel had to think. The "anniversary" of Matt and Mimi's "break up" had been in the papers as recent as yesterday. And then Mimi understood. Gabriel was trying to make her unimportant – not a famous actress, but just some girl that happened to know Matt. "Wasn't that just a publicity stunt?"

Mimi smirked, "To my manager, sure."

This surprised Matt. Never had he gotten the impression that their tiff had meant anything _more_ , except in his own head. Maybe Mimi was just being nice. Things couldn't be proved one way or the other... and then his mind drifted to Yutaka, realizing the man was sitting next to Sora, taking over what had once been TK's spot. What the fuck was he doing here? Surely, he was going to testify, _biasedly_ , but... to be so close to Sora? Something else was going on.

"How did Yamato act when you met him?" Gabriel remarked, checking her nails. She almost didn't feel like bothering with questions.

"He was just your average kid. A little quiet, but fine."

"...and as an adult?"

Mimi closed her eyes, her long lashes hiding the pity and shame she felt for her friend. "Not well. He was a mess. Drank a lot. Slept around a lot. He flaunted it, too." _Damn,_ Mimi chastised herself when she realized Gabriel was smiling. She had let that slip. _Damn my big mouth._

"You toured together. How was he then?"

Mimi considered lying, but heard herself admitting, "The same, if not worse. Self-centered. He wasn't sleeping much and was taking sleeping pills."

The lawyer's eyes lit up and she asked eagerly, "Abusing them?"

"No." Mimi shook her head. "Yamato isn't like that."

"Yet he clearly has an addictive personality. Smoking, fighting, drinking, _children_."

Mimi snorted. "Hardly."

"Oh, really? How old were these _people_ , because let's clarify it didn't matter _what_ he slept with..."

"I didn't ask. No one looked underage to me."

"Did he ask for their ID?"

"I don't know. Who does that?" Mimi blurted. Gabriel was making Mimi's blood boil with that oh so smug smirk as she sat back down. She hoped things with Cody would be easier. He approached her with a look she had never seen before. One of worry and hate. She couldn't read him and Mimi was an expert at it.

"How old were the patrons of the concert?" His voice was clipped, angry about something and Mimi pouted as she thought.

"I'm not sure."

"Let me rephrase: what was the age limit to enter?"

That was easier. She remembered her bastard manager complaining about everyone being "too old" for their concerts, and she tried to hide her disdain for him, not wanting it to be taken wrong. "Eighteen and up. You couldn't get the tickets otherwise and they checked ID at the door."

"When you two dated, did he act any different?"

Mimi blushed, remembering the day she broke Matt's heart. "He... promised to never treat me badly or hurt me, and he kept that promise."

"No more questions."

"Redirect," Gabriel announced quickly. She stormed from her seat. She had seen the way the hardened eyes of the jury softened, new mothers falling for the sappy love story that had been in all the papers recently. If she wasn't so sure of her win, she might be worried. "If he was so _good_ to you, why did you end up in the hospital on several occasions during said tour with the defendant?"

"It was _one_ time," Mimi insisted. "I was exhausted. Being a pop idol is all business and glam. In fact, Matt, uh, Yamato _drove_ me to the hospital."

"So, he was with you when you fainted?"

"Yes." What was Gabriel's game with these questions?

"According to a police report filed by the hospital, he assaulted a nurse."

"He was _worried_ about me."

"Or wanted to get in and hurt you further," Gabriel remarked.

"Objection..." Cody growled.

"Withdrawn."

"Remind the jury again. Why did you faint?"

Mimi looked to the sea of eyes. She just prayed they believed her. "Exhaustion. There should be a report about _that_ , too. Did you look that up?"

"No more commentary out of you, Miss Tachikawa, or I'll hold you in contempt," the judge snapped, getting tired of this back and forth.

"Why were you exhausted?" Gabriel pressed. She looked just as bored as she had been, but there was an urgency in her voice. She was trying to draw something out of Mimi, and for the life of her, the woman couldn't figure out what she wanted.

"I told you. Being a pop idol is stressful."

"Yet, Yamato was with you when you fainted. What was he doing at your residence?"

"He..." Mimi started. She looked to the blonde. He was staring at the grain in the wood of the stand, looking as out of it as he had that night she was now remembering. "I let him stay at my place."

"Did you two have intercourse?"

" _No_ ," Mimi yelped, blushing.

"Did you fight?"

"No!" Mimi was getting frustrated.

"Then, did he do anything to add to your stress?" Gabriel questioned with a grin.

"He attempted to leap from my balcony!" Mimi covered her mouth with her hand, realizing she'd fallen into Gabriel's trap. Her face burned and she glared. If it hadn't been open court, Mimi was certain Gabriel would be laughing at her.

Matt felt a wave of heat wash over him. What would be the next secret spilled? What other nightmare of his past would be dragged up and rubbed in his face? He was a fucked up piece of shit at this point. He felt his breathing pick up, but he remained so motionless, so dead inside. Mimi resisted the urge to cry.

"Do you know why he tried to kill himself?"

"No." Mimi glowered and despite the judge's warning, she snapped, "He just broke up with Sora at the time, so maybe _she_ had something to do with it."

"No more questions!" Gabriel snapped. This doe-eyed routine the actress had been pulling was making all her hard won women turn, loosing themselves in the romantic fantasy that Mimi and Matt had lead. Cody shook his head when Catherine looked to him, and the judge banged her gavel.

"We're ending for the day. We'll reconvene tomorrow at eleven A.M."

Matt couldn't look up as he stood obediently, the cuffs quickly on his wrists. He could feel Cody seated next to him, and yet at the same time a million miles away and Matt knew he'd lost a friend. First his brother, then his wife. Yolie, and now Cody... Who would be next? Tai had been poking him the whole day with his cane, jabbing him in the spine and ass as comfortingly and annoyingly as possible. And Joe had been silent behind him, what could he be thinking now? He kept his head bowed as he was led back into the courthouse, to the jail cell that had become his home.

Sora hurried from the courtroom, unknowingly mirroring her husband as she looked to her feet and nothing more. She didn't want to be near the other Children any more, didn't want to see their accusing faces. How could they still not believe her? Even after everything that had happened? How could they still think of her as the monster when Matt's DNA was sitting in a paper bag...

She didn't even realize she was running until someone reached out and grabbed her shoulder. She jerked to a stop and raised her head, ready to yell. But when Yutaka's caring face was the only one peering at her, she allowed her hidden tears to fall.

"Sora? You ok?" the drummer asked, biting one of the studs in his lip. He'd always cared for the woman, and seeing how far Matt had pulled her down was nothing short of infuriating to him. How could he damage, not just his children, but this precious being before him?

"Yutaka, I..." Sora sniffled and pulled a tissue from her purse. She wanted to just wipe her nose on her sleeve, but her mother would never allow it. Her mother wouldn't allow a lot of things... "I'm so alone, right now, Yutaka..."

"Hey, hey, don't worry." The redhead wrapped his arms around Sora's shoulders, pulling the shaking woman close to him. He could feel the front of his suit already becoming damp with her tears and he frowned. "Don't cry, Red..."

Sora giggled, a tiny smile curving her lips. "You haven't called me that since..."

Since The Tour. The one that ended the Wolves and her relationship with Matt. Sora remembered spending hours on the tour bus while Matt was off doing something (or someone, she thought now) else. Yutaka was the only one who had taken the time to talk to her, to be her friend while she waited for the right time to finally _be_ with Matt. How had she not seen it back then? The warmth that Matt never had, the gentle eyes that bared his soul to her and not just a shield to keep her away?

Sora reached for Yutaka's hand, holding it gently. She felt his fingers intertwine with hers and just as she was leaning into him with a sigh, he pulled away. "Yutaka, what are you...?"

"Not while _this_ is here," the man growled. He took Sora's hand and, with a mocking smile, he twisted her wedding ring off and asked softly, "Will you un-marry, Yamato?"

Sora looked at the too-small silver band. It had left an indent on her finger, her flesh and her life warped by Matt's callous uncaring for her needs. She took the ring and tossed it carelessly across the hallway, listening to the _clink_ with happy tears streaming down her cheeks. "For you, Yuta? Of course."


	10. Chapter 10

_So save your breath, I will not hear._

 _I think I made it very clear._

* * *

Toshiko had always had eyes like a hawk. She immediately saw the lack of a band on her daughter's hand, the slight wrinkle to her shirt that had never been there before. She saw the tiny smile Sora tried to hide and, when Sora passed close enough, Toshiko definitely saw the kiss bruise on the side of her neck. Never one to fantasize or daydream about what may have happened, Toshiko pulled her daughter aside and demanded, "What happened to you?"

Sora nibbled her lip, knowing most of the lipstick was gone. She had been late coming home due to getting "distracted" by Yutaka when they had to part ways. They had gotten lost in each others lips, Sora finally feeling safe in a man's arms and Yutaka finally feeling like he was getting one over on Matt. She hadn't even thought to come up with why she was late, and she hadn't even realized Yutaka had left a hickey on her (something she wouldn't discover until that night when she showered). But when she looked into her mother's face, she found she didn't really care. It could have been due to feeling vindicated by Matt's now certain guilt, or just the elation of finding someone who truly cared about _her_.

"I apologize, Mother," Sora said with a polite bow. "But I really must be getting ready for bed. I have a long day tomorrow."

Had Toshiko been anyone else, she would have sputtered with rage as her daughter ignored her question and turned away. She would have grabbed Sora and demanded the answers had she not been a woman of pride and grace. Instead, she stilled her tongue and watched the young woman go to her room, closing the door behind her sternly.

Sora held a hand to her cheek, blushing furiously in the safety of her room. She smiled warmly, falling into her bed and wrapping the sheet around herself without bothering to undress first. She'd never felt so happy in her life before, not since Biyomon had left her. She wondered, for a moment, what it would have been like if Yutaka had approached her when they were teens. Would she have spent her life happy with him, not living in constant fear for herself and her children?

She could hear her mother's footsteps pause just outside her door, but before the elder Takenouchi could intrude, Sora's cell phone began ringing. The redhead snatched it up quickly, knowing her mother was far too polite to interrupt a private conversation.

"Hello?"

"Sora, I'm not calling too late, am I?"

"Oh, TK." Sora sat up, still wrapped in her sheets. "I was worried – you didn't show up today."

TK made an irritated noise. "I decided that I wasn't going to be part of his lies anymore."

"His lies?" Sora blinked. "About..." _The children?_

"About Mom." There was the sound of a door shutting. TK must have locked himself in his office like he usually did whenever Matt came up. "He _insists_ that Mom touched him – he has everyone convinced of it, too."

"Wait, you mean Nancy never did any of those things?" So that meant Matt was a monster all on his own.

"Of course not." TK snorted. "My mother was a wonderful woman, not some kind of... _freak_ like he is. He's lied about her and he's lied to you, too."

"To me?" Sora swallowed hard. She knew _now_ that he had done those terrible things to Hanako, what else did this poor abused brother know?

"Of course. You think he just decided to leave you all on his own?" There was a low growl. "I had an _interesting_ chat with Aiko before the funeral. Apparently, my brother was with Joe for longer than we knew. For _months_ before Mom's funeral. And if I know anything about fagots, _he's_ the one that put the idea in Matt's head to leave you."

"But Joe wouldn't do that," Sora whispered. Joe had always been her friend, always supported her...

"Think about it," TK pressed. "Did Matt ever even _look_ at anyone else before he ended up with that rat bastard? Men or women?"

Sora worried at her bottom lip. TK was right, after all. Their whole marriage, Matt had never let on that he was gay. He'd only ever looked at her from that first night – hell, they had two kids together, didn't that prove he was straight? And then that night, the night he came back from the bar...

Tsukuyomi had been the first to talk about it. A tall man had brought their father home. He'd taken Matt to their bedroom and closed the door. It was possible that Joe had... seduced her husband. Convinced Matt that he was gay and to leave her. She'd always seen that look in Joe's eyes whenever he looked at Matt, always known there was something between them ever since they were kids.

Had Joe even convinced Matt to shoot himself? The gun hadn't gone off until she'd said his name.

"Oh, God," Sora whispered. It all made too much sense now. "I... I can't believe it..."

"I never wanted to hurt you," TK told her softly. "But I figured you needed to hear the truth."

"No, TK, you... You've always been wonderful to me. I appreciate it." Again, the presence of her mother could be felt on the other side of her door, and Sora sighed. She would have to account for her tardiness and makeup somehow. "I'll see you soon."

She clicked off the phone and set it on the side table, feeling her brief bout of courage and self-confidence completely drained away with a single call. With a shuddering breath, Sora wiped the tears from her eyes. There was no way she could confront her mother as emotional as she was right now, but she had no other choice. Living under Toshiko's roof and rule, there was nothing she could do on her own.

* * *

Joe forced himself to eat another spoonful of his cereal. His stomach was churning, aching horribly, and he hadn't been able to sleep the night before. He dropped his spoon in the bowl, milk splashing over the edge and onto a half-finished puzzle, the third one laid out across the table.

"Aiko," he called, trying to keep his voice calm, "come clean these up."

"No," the boy pouted. Aiko had opened another puzzle and was slowly putting the pieces together on the coffee table in the living room. He didn't even have to look at the box, each piece etched into his mid as to where they would go and who would place them. There was a pile growing beside him of all the edge pieces that Matt always put together. "Yamapapa needs to come home and help me finish them. He _promised_."

"Yes, well," Joe tried to word it carefully, to not upset his son. "He won't be coming home for a long time." _If at all_ , his traitorous mind added.

"If I keep working on them, he'll come home faster," Aiko said, his childish logic a comfort. After all, the boy figured, if he put any of them away, that was just acknowledging that Matt wasn't coming home. Just like when Detective Ichijouji had him take his things from Nana's house, that was acknowledging that his mother wasn't coming home either. He took a piece of sky and recognized it as the one Matt had laughed at. Quickly, he set it in the pile.

Joe bit his tongue, sighing deeply. He wondered if this was something Aiko would have to go back to therapy for. The twelve year old had been doing so good lately, the nightmares about Tomaru all but gone by now. He glanced at his watch and announced, "We'll talk about this when we come home, Aiko. It's time to go to the courthouse."

Aiko carefully pushed the puzzle to the middle of the table so that it wouldn't fall apart. He knew that when he came home, he would need the space to start on the panda puzzle sitting on the shelf.

Joe ushered his son into the car, making sure he put the seat belt on correctly. The drive wasn't long, but neither had been having much luck with taking care of themselves over the past few days. Aiko was still pouting, crossing his arms like Matt had taught him when they were convincing Joe to upgrade his cable subscription, and the father was worriedly nibbling his bottom lip enough to make it bleed. Not too much longer, Joe tried to tell himself. Surely Gabriel didn't have too many witnesses left and then Cody would undo all her damage, including that rape kit.

Because it wasn't real. It _couldn't_ be real. Joe refused to let it be real. Because that meant that Matt _had_ hurt his child, that he had become the monster he thought he had been back in the Digital World...

The drive was silent, Aiko throwing a fit whenever Joe tried to turn on the radio. They arrived quickly. The metal detector went off on Joe, like it did every time, and Aiko sighed irritably. The young child was convinced that every second not spent in court was just another wasted moment, as though if they weren't there it was held directly against Matt. He shuffled his feet and wriggled like Jaciru did before a soccer match, almost running down the hallway to the elevator the moment Joe was through security.

Even the other people on the lift, Joe was certain, could feel the tension between father and son. He tired to place a reassuring hand on Aiko's shoulder, but the boy shrugged him off roughly. Aiko tried to remember how Jaciru always got her way with Tai and Izzy, but he usually spent more time with Nakayama whenever he visited the couple during his father's double shifts.

The doors dinged open, and Aiko hurried off the elevator, listening to Joe apologize for his son's rude behavior. For a moment, Aiko felt guilt gnawing at his chest. He didn't want to be impolite to the poor strangers trying to get to their own trials. He looked to his feet and scuffed his shoe against the polished tile. He just really wanted to get back to his blonde father's side, and support him in this "witch hunt" as Tai had mumbled with an apology to Joe.

"Aiko, please," Joe began. He wanted to let his son know that he wasn't mad at him, just upset at this whole thing. He put his hand on his knees to lower himself to the boy's level and smiled as sweetly as his nerves would allow. "Look, I just wanted to..."

"Excuse me, _Dr.,_ " came the venomous voice he used to be familiar with. Joe looked up at Sora, seeing the new wave of anger and judgment in her eyes. "But you're in the way."

Joe sighed and stood, watching as Aiko quickly abandoned him to sit between Izzy and Tai in the front row. "Sora, please, just... stop this whole mess. Can't we go back to the way things used to be?"

"No." Sora shook her head and clutched at her shoulders. Joe could see the pale line of flesh on her hand where her wedding band used to sit. "Yamato has to pay for what he did – you _saw_ the rape kit!"

"We didn't _see_ anything," Joe insisted. "Just because Gabriel _said_ his DNA was in it doesn't mean a thing!"

Sora fumed. "So you're willing to put up with a child molester for, what? A quick lay?" She pointed accusingly. "TK told me everything about you – don't think you can just... _take_ my husband from me!"

"What are you talking about now?"

"You, you... _homewrecker_!" Joe blinked as Sora sneered. "But whatever, it doesn't matter now. Soon, Yamato will be put away where he deserves and _my_ children will finally be safe!"

Joe frowned after Sora as she stormed into the courtroom, seating herself next to Yolie. The purple haired woman quickly offered Sora a tissue and Joe almost felt bad when he saw her wipe away a tear. But then he saw Matt sitting at his desk, head lowered into his hands, shoulders hunched. There was nothing left to Sora, Joe figured, but a spurned woman who was making up her own lies to get back at a man who had never loved her in the first place. The doctor hurried into the room right before Judge Catherine did, taking his place behind Matt and next to Tai. Izzy looked at Aiko and then at Joe with questions brimming in his eyes, but Joe shook his head. He would explain everything he could later, if Aiko was still mad at him.

Gabriel was at her table and she smiled when she was told to call her witness. A tall redheaded man, all his piercings removed except for the two at the bottoms of his ears to leave his face pale and plain. Brown eyes seethed with rage as he looked at Matt, and there was anger in his voice as he introduced himself on the prosecutor's command.

"Hamasaki, Yutaka."

"How do you know Yamato Ishida?" Gabriel asked, looking over her nails before meeting Yutaka's eyes. Oh, how she loved those vindictive eyes. After learning about him from Sora, he was her absolute star witness. She couldn't be happier to add fuel to the fire she had started under Matt's feet. Her last case was going to go out with a _bang_! Just like Matt wished his life would.

"We were in a middle school band, the Teen-Age Wolves," Yutaka muttered, barely audible enough for the court reporter and the jury, but good enough. He slacked back in the chair. This entire thing was such a CHORE.

"What kind of bandmate was he?"

"Shitty," Yutaka blurted, used to complaining about the man to his new bandmates. He blushed as the judge eyed him, still irritated from Mimi's testimony the previous day. "N-Not ideal," he reiterated with a shrug. "He drank a lot. He popped pills and sh- stuff, too. He was always..." Yutaka growled to himself, remembering how hard he worked and how hard Matt worked to screw it all up. "Late or didn't show up at all and _when he was there_ all he did was complain that _his_ band wasn't going how _he_ wanted."

"He eventually left the band because of that, right?" Gabriel's gaze flickered to Matt, watching the blonde seethe and knowing the jury would see it too.

"Yeah," Yutaka snorted.

"What was your last performance together like?"

Yutaka chuckled. The entire thing was so ridiculous it amused him. "He, he was so trashed. You wouldn't believe it. He thought he was some kinda rock star and smashed a flippin' sweet Mustang Red Fender, along with part of the stage. He left in the middle of the damn thing; didn't even finish it. _I_ paid for the damages because he disappeared!"

"Well, sounds like fame went to his head." Gabriel almost laughed as she saw a few of the older men nodding, thinking of their own no-good children. "No more questions for this witness."

Cody straightened his suit and approached Yutaka. He hadn't much interaction at all with him, not even as a child when he approached Matt to learn about his younger brother, but immediately the young Chosen could tell he wasn't worth what he thought he was worth.

"How did the Wolves form in the first place?"

Yutaka's lips twitched. "Yamato's idea."

"Where did you two first meet?"

"We were in detention for missing school." Yutaka shrugged grandly, as though it were commonplace knowledge. "Turns out we both loved to practice music rather than study, heh."

"How did you find the other two band members?"

"We held auditions and found Akira and Takashi."

Cody leaned in, a stern look in his eyes that made Yutaka frown and wonder to himself, just how could this lawyer even _think_ of defending a piece of trash like Matt? "Is it true _you_ kicked Yamato out of the very band he started?"

"Yamato didn't want to be there; everyone knew that. I just gave him an excuse to leave."

"How could you tell he didn't want to be there?"

Yutaka growled and said loudly, "Yamato was never there or late, like I said. He just wanted _his own_ band. He didn't care about _us."_

"So..." Cody walked back to Matt, motioning to his client. "Yamato made the Wolves and wanted to change the direction and _you_ find him in the wrong for that?"

"The band belonged to everyone," Yutaka snapped. Was Cody accusing _him_ of not caring about the Wolves? "Not just him."

"What did Akira and Takashi want to do?"

"I-" Yutaka began, but Gabriel stood quickly.

"Objection," the lawyer snapped. "Hearsay."

Judge Catherine looked to Cody who quickly reworded his question, "Did you all discuss Yamato's plans for the band?"

The redhead shrugged roughly. He didn't like the way Gabriel was glaring. "We voted. The guys didn't seem to care."

"So..." Cody said, once more approaching him, "Only _you_ wanted him out of the band?"

"They were too embarrassed to say it. I just did what we all wanted." Of course Aika and Takashi had wanted Matt out, they were just too nice to say anything.

"Did you know Yamato later on, in college?" Cody wondered aloud.

Yutaka wrinkled his nose, "Fuh, why?"

"Answer the question, please."

"No way," Yutaka snorted. "I didn't _want_ to."

"Did you know that in that time Yamato was pulling straight As and preparing to be an astronaut, a career that takes dedication and hard work?"

"No." The drummer sneered. Why would he give a shit about any of that?

"So," Cody determined, "you've only seen him at his worst?"

"Your Honor," Gabriel objected quickly, "the witness has no idea how Yamato acted during that time period. Besides, even stoners can get straight As if they want."

"Withdrawn. No more questions," Cody breathed as Judge Catherine nodded her agreement and took a seat next to Matt.

"Do you two still talk?" Gabriel asked casually.

Yutaka grinned wide, "Hell no."

"Did you interact with the Ishida household whatsoever?"

"I've been talking for Sora for awhile, ever since their second kid, Tusmi-whatever. I'm dating her now," he added proudly.

 _What?_ Matt felt himself snap out of his near coma. He glowered with rage at the sound of his child's name being mangled, making Cody place a hesitant hand on his shoulder. But Matt ignored his lawyer's sudden unease, still thinking. _So, that's what the fucking deal is. What the Hell, Sora? Too chickenshit to tell me? Fuckin' Christ._

Sora's immediate reaction was to feel embarrassed, but she was proud. Yutaka was ten times the man her ex ever was. Even Yolie was congratulating her quietly for the "step up" from Matt.

"Did you see Yamato at all?" Gabriel was asking, pulling Sora from her warm thoughts.

"Occasionally."

"How did you witness him acting around his family?"

"He's the same jerk he's always been. A self-centered, emo, brat."

"Were you aware Yamato was _allegedly_ raped as a child?" It made Gabriel irrationally pleased to be able to announce that, her voice growing louder just to drive the words home.

"What the f...Hell do I care? He's had forty years to deal with it. He should have stopped being a victim and started being a man. Besides, it's not like he was a chick, or anything, so I don't think it should have even _mattered_ that much."

 _Easy for you say, dickweed,_ Matt seethed as Cody called an objection and Catherine quickly agreed. _Let's see how_ you _handle being raped._ Then, Matt surprised himself for even thinking such a thing. Sora's tactics were just poisoning him. He hoped he could control himself before his turn came to pass. At this rate, his numbness would fade and he would give everyone what they wanted—a raving homicidal shell of a man.

"No more questions, your honor," Gabriel announced and Cody said the same.

Judge Catherine raised her gavel. "Then we'll take a short recess for lunch." Her bailiff approached, reminding her of a prior obligation with her own child. "Ah, correction. We'll have..." she hmm'd as she thought. "Three hours. We'll all meet back at two." The gavel fell and she quickly excused herself.

Yutaka remained in the stand and sneered at Matt as the blonde was lead away in his handcuffs. He would be placed in his cell for those few hours and Yutaka was glad for it. Keep the monster where he deserved to be.

Matt resisted the urge to break away from his bailiffs and strangle the life out of his old drummer. Shouldn't have mattered, his ass! _So what_ , Matt thought, _if I'd been a little girl touched by Daddy, you'd've given a shit? Not just tossed me out on my ass when I_ begged _for help?_

He was checked in and the bars slammed shut behind him, giving him just enough room to put his wrists through for the handcuffs to come off. The court officers left quickly and Matt looked around at what had become his home for the past few days. A cot chained to the wall, toilet that backed up whenever he had to flush it, and a mattress lumpier than the curry Joe used to make at the Diner.

Matt sat on the floor, the thought of any kind of bed making him shudder and dry-heave, and pulled his knees to his chest. He missed Joe desperately, needing the other man to reassure him. _Am I really making a big deal out of this...?_ he couldn't help but think. He tried to cling to the thought that he was being wronged, that he was innocent, but he could only hear the mocking laughter of the police when his father brought him to the station.

" _Damn, I wish I had that boy's luck," one of them was snickering, not caring if the crying six year old heard him. "That Ishida woman is a fox."_

" _I don't think he came here to complain," another was saying, leering at the woman being questioned. "I think he's here to_ brag. _"_

Matt dug his fingers into his hair and tugged at the strands, trying to get the pain to distract him. He wished he was a teenager again so he could raid his dad's liquor cabinet. He could get blackout drunk again, block out the voices the way he always had. But the officer watching his cell wouldn't let him. Hell, they wouldn't even let him smoke and the lack of nicotine was driving him insane!

" _I've been talking for Sora for awhile, ever since their second kid."_ Yutaka's words played in Matt's mind again, and he latched onto them.

"Yutaka..." he snarled into his knees. If he could take find his anger, direct it at someone who deserved it... "You son of a bitch, what the hell have you been doing with my wife?"

Since Tsukuyomi was born, Yutaka had admitted. Or, really, before that...

Matt tried to picture his son in his mind. Warm amber eyes, wild red hair, a wonderful way with music. He'd always thought Tsukuyomi had just looked like Sora, but was it possible that she had...? With Yutaka of all people? Matt cursed when he thought, _Was this all a ploy by her? To keep me distracted from figuring it out?_

The day Sora had come home to announce her pregnancy, that was when she'd gone crazy on him. Was she accusing him of hurting Hanako to cover up her own affair? But why would she carry it on so long, drag him so far down? He tired to think back, to the night they had even made Tsukuyomi, but he couldn't remember anything past his fifth shot of whiskey, being driven to drink after another Hellish visit from Toshiko.

"I'm such an idiot..." Matt growled, thumping his knuckles against the plate in his head. "How the hell could I have never seen it before? Tsuku-chan... isn't even mine..."

* * *

Hooray, a special early update for everyone! I wanted to get this one up before tomorrow since I'll be super busy (getting the last details down before my wedding on Saturday~) and I really didn't want to leave you guys with another unannounced break.

And for everyone who's worried about poor Matt and Hanako, don't worry - there's still plenty left for me to do to them - I mean, plenty left to come~


	11. Chapter 11

_You couldn't hate enough to love._

 _Is that supposed to be enough?_

* * *

TK sat back in his office chair. The open word document glowed, cursor blinking on the blank page. He wanted to write, to lose himself in another novel and ignore the outside world. But with Kari at Matt's trial, he was the one in charge of the children. Lucian had made lunch, the fourteen year old making himself responsible. He was already in middle school, and he was determined to be grown up and impress the girls when he came back from summer break.

In fact, his oldest was even knocking lightly on the door to TK's study. "Dad? You hungry?"

TK stretched his arms above his head and gave in to his writer's block. He hadn't been able to put one word down without erasing it since yesterday morning when Kari had left without him. He put a smile on his face and stepped into the brightly lit hallway. His son was already holding a plate, sloppy sandwich slowly slipping to one side. "Thanks, Lucian."

The boy's brown eyes lit up, and TK was reminded of his departed wife. He hadn't meant to sound so misogynistic, he just didn't want her to be sucked into Matt's lies like his whole family had before. TK shook his head and hugged Lucian tight, taking his lunch to the dining room table where his stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he'd forgotten to eat breakfast. He had to pass through the living room where Kazuki was playing an ancient platformer, Tsukuyomi acting as the second character with a sticking controller. Hanako was curled up on the couch with a sketchbook, drawing the two boys with an accuracy TK could never hope to achieve. There was a smear of mustard on her sleeve, but she ignored it as Kazuki shifted, smiling brightly at his redheaded cousin.

TK watched the two boys for a moment, remembering Sora's words from her brief stay at their apartment. _"Keep an eye on Kazuki. He's spending an awful lot of time with boys his own age."_

But that was normal, wasn't it? He was only thirteen and would be following his brother to middle school that year. It wasn't a race to find girls attractive, and TK never minded the closeness his sons shared – it was certainly something he'd missed out on with Matt.

Matt. The thought of his brother made his stomach churn and he set down his half of a sandwich that remained. Kari was supporting the man wholeheartedly, refusing to believe TK that he was nothing more than a monster that would hurt his wife and children. In fact, TK was certain that was why Hanako was so withdrawn and Tsukuyomi so close to Kazuki. They were so scared of their father, they could only cling to kids their own age.

Just like Matt had clung to the other Chosen Children.

TK growled. No, that wasn't right. Because that would mean that Matt _had_ been abused. And he _hadn't_ , those were all lies. And only godless heathens would lie.

TK pulled his lunch apart, toying with the bread, the lettuce, the meat. He arranged each layer neatly on his plate as he watched the children playing. Lucian had joined Hanako on the couch, pulling her into his world with a warm personality. He never had problems making friends, joining cliques as though there were no social barriers to cross. He played sports with the jocks and joked with the nerds, never once quoting the Bible in anger but only to assist. He never preached, but was always there with a Psalm to help and guide others. TK was certain that, should the boy want, he would be a wonderful pastor.

Kazuki, he realized, was much more timid around others. He could count the number of friends he had on one hand with fingers to spare, but he held them close to his soul. He tested Scripture for any event, usually looking to his brother or father for approval. He wilted under disapproving glances and beamed whenever he was found to be right. There was always a fear of something dancing in his eyes, especially whenever TK was around, and the blonde child was more willing to put himself aside for God's wishes. So it was interesting, TK mused, that Kazuki could so quickly attach to Tsukuyomi and even Russell, the brunette boy always an eager topic for Kazuki to discuss.

TK was running his finger through a glob of mayonnaise that had dripped onto the table, playing in the slick condiment. There was something nagging at his brain, something desperate to bloom in his consciousness. Just as words were beginning to form, the phone rang loudly and he jumped.

"Dad, phone!" Lucian called absently, still joking with Hanako. It was usually his responsibility to make sure his father didn't wither away in front of his computer, and he'd forgotten that the man was sitting in the kitchen.

TK wiped his hands off on the kitchen towel hanging from the oven, grabbing the cordless phone from its place on the wall. It was an ancient thing, but the apartments they lived in paid for the landline, and it was hard for a teacher and novelist to afford decent cell phone plans.

"Takaishi residence, Takeru speaking." TK looked out into the living room again. Whatever knowledge that had been steadily rising in him was gone, vanished with the sound of the phone.

"Good afternoon," came a barely familiar voice. "This is Gabriel Dolphinus. We met back in France."

TK frowned before the memory formed. His nose still ached and he reached up to touch the permanent bump on the bridge of it. "Ah, yes, I remember you. You're helping Sora with this... mess my brother made."

"I'm glad, that means I don't have to explain." There was a coldness to the lawyer's voice that made him shiver, but TK didn't mind. Anything to end this agony Sora was being put through.

"Is everything going ok?" TK asked. Kari wasn't on speaking terms with him again, and he was uncomfortably reminded of when he'd taken his children to visit Nancy on her final days. The young bride had been furious when he'd returned, almost refusing to have their weekly maritals with him.

"They're going fine," Gabriel reassured. "Though I was hoping you'd be able to help me out. Can you meet me down at the courthouse for a moment?"

TK looked to his children. Lucian was a great babysitter, and even Kazuki would listen to his brother when he was told to. "Of course. Anything you need me to do."

* * *

TK walked into the courtroom, footsteps echoing loudly. Gabriel had told him everyone had been dismissed for a long lunch, and even the constant reporters were off, taking a rest before coming back for more coverage. The benches were the same hard, uncomfortable wood as his Church, and TK felt a solemn urge to pray, but he wasn't sure for what.

Standing at the podium, on the other side of an ornate wooden gate, was the tall woman with the long black hair TK remembered from the flight to France. She had been so close to Sora, reassuring the woman at every turn about how right she was about her husband and promising to "get him" for her. Again, TK felt that uncomfortable shiver run down his spine, but he pushed it away. She was the only help they could get to end Matt's disgusting lies.

"I'm glad you could make it," Gabriel said with a twist to her lips that was supposed to be a smile. Her voice was loud, like Father Nohara's when he was preaching about the evils of the world.

"You said you wanted to meet me here," TK said. He tried to smile back, but couldn't move his lips properly. "Is everything going ok?"

"Perfectly fine," Gabriel purred. She walked to TK, hips flowing from side to side with every step. She put one hand on his arm, long nails digging into his overcoat. "I can say with one hundred percent certainty, that everything will go how I planned it."

"I'm glad," TK told her. "Anything to get Matt to _end_ all this."

"And believe me," the woman pressed. "Once we're done here, he'll definitely be over with."

"Then, if everything is fine," TK asked, "why am I here? I'd really rather not be a part of all his lies."

Gabriel sighed, a crooning, mournful noise. She pouted richly colored lips and looked up through fluttering lashes. "I've been told some... disturbing things by Mrs. Ishida about you."

TK felt himself blush. Sora had been raving to everyone, it seemed, about the way Matt interacted with him. He wished he could remember anything that she said had happened, even just a phantom touch of his brother's disgusting hands, but there was nothing. Nothing at all to suggest that Matt had ever done anything but protect him like a brother should have – the way Lucian always looked out for Kazuki.

"Look," he tried. "I-"

"I know it must be hard," Gabriel continued, running over his words. She lead him to the witness stand, opening the gate and offering him to sit. It was weird, he thought as he looked to the empty courtroom. Like being in a confessional in front of the whole congregation. What would it be like to have to confess his sins before God and all His children? TK looked to the lawyer as she approached, for a split second seeing her as a priest.

Then he saw the crow's feet at the corners of her eyes, hidden under a thick layer of make up, and she gave him a twisted smile as she spoke. "Unfortunately, with the statute of limitations as they are, there's nothing _I_ can do about what Yamato did to you. The things he must have done," she shook her head, "they can never be undone. I can only hope that you can help _me_ help the children."

TK crossed his arms and leaned away from the light in Gabriel's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"Being abused by someone you're supposed to trust," the lawyer continued. "I don't know how I could have lived with it all these years, but you seem to have done it. You have a stable relationship, wonderful kids, good friends..."

TK looked away, lowering his gaze to the wood encasing him. Every word she spoke was like driving a pin into his flesh. He couldn't say anything to Sora, the woman too far set in her ways and ideals, but he couldn't let this lawyer continue to believe things hat weren't true.

"Nothing happened," the man spoke and then bit his lip. Those two words, very simple on his tongue, made him feel... great. Like a weight had been lifted from his soul. He breathed easy for the first time since that day in the hospital and realized just how much holding a grudge against his brother had been bothering him.

"Excuse me?" Gabriel asked, blinking. She hadn't even realized he'd spoken. "What was that?"

TK looked to the lawyer, meeting her hazel eyed gaze with a confidence he thought he'd lost so long ago. "My brother, nothing ever happened between us." He shook his head, feeling the beginnings of a small smile. "I'm sorry that Sora lead you to believe he hurt me, but he never did."

Gabriel pursed her lips. She put a hand on her hip and tapped her foot. "What are you talking about? Mrs. Ishida specifically testified that Yamato molested you at summer camp. She told me that Yamato had done more than _that_ , even."

TK shook his head, wondering what Gabriel meant by "summer camp". He'd only been at the campgrounds for less than three hours before going to the Digital World. "I don't know what she saw that lead her to believe that, but..."

"No 'but's," Gabriel snapped and TK jumped. The woman stuck her finger in TK's face, a dark look overtaking her features. "My star witness testified to seeing you be molested. And what I want _you_ to do, is back her up on it."

"N-no!" TK yelped. "I'm telling you, _nothing_ _happened_!"

"And I'm telling _you_ , that I don't care," Gabriel snarled. "You _will_ sit up there on that stand. You _will_ tell the jury a sob story about being molested. You _will_ make it believable. You _will_ help me make Yamato out to be a monster."

"I will not swear to God and tell a _lie_ ," TK insisted. He stood, but even towering over Gabriel wouldn't intimidate her as she continued to glare.

"Then swear to some _other_ god you don't mind lying to," Gabriel said flippantly. "Just as long as you're on that stand, telling the jury what I need them to hear."

TK couldn't believe what he was hearing. What could possibly possess Gabriel to tell him to lie about something like this? Shouldn't there be enough evidence against his brother already? He set his jaw and looked away. "I refuse."

Gabriel was practically shaking. She bit her tongue and pulled her fists to her sides. How could this... _brat_ refuse her? From what Sora had told her, the man should have been jumping at the chance to help put Matt away.

"Fine," she snapped. She took a breath and calmed down, relaxing into her usual grace. "That's fine, Takeru. You do what you have to do, and I'll do what I have to do." She turned away, stalking out of the courtroom. "Just go back home, Mr. Takaishi, we're done here. I have other arrangements I need to make."

TK slowly stepped away from the witness stand. He looked to the empty table where Matt would be sitting and sighed deeply. Was that what his brother had to put up with this whole time? He passed through the bar, fingertips lingering on the wooden gate. What had he been thinking, telling Kari to not go to the trial? How awful Matt must have felt, when he didn't see his little brother there, even if he was in support of Sora.

He looked to his feet in shame. How awful Matt must have felt, when he _did_ see his little brother there in support of Sora.

"What else can I do?" TK asked the empty room. "I can't believe what he says about Mom, but can I believe what Sora says about _him_ after what Gabriel told me to do?"

Only his voice echoed back at him.

TK trudged to the doors, still thinking. If Gabriel wanted him to lie, what could that mean about his brother's guilt? Surely there was some evidence against Matt that wasn't just Sora's word that he'd been molested. Wasn't the way Hanako and Tsukuyomi were acting evidence enough? Even if it wasn't sexual, surely there was _some_ kind of abuse going on.

He put his hand on the handle of the door, only for it to swing open under his touch. He looked up into the surprised eyes of his wife.

"TK?" Kari asked. "What are you doing here? Are the kids ok?"

"They're fine," TK said, calming Kari immediately. "I'm here because..." Should he tell Kari about what Gabriel wanted him to so? What would she think of the lawyer's tactics? His wife frowned slightly and TK looked away, saying, "I'm here because I decided Matt needs me."


	12. Chapter 12

_I only wish you weren't my friend._

 _Then I could hurt you in the end._

* * *

Matt was slow to stumble back into the courtroom. He was still picturing Tsukuyomi in his mind's eye, comparing his young son to the bastard drummer he had once considered a friend. He kept his head bowed as he sat at his desk, glancing over his shoulder to see Tai grinning at him and Joe smiling. Aiko wasn't looking at Joe and was even sitting on the other side of Izzy, the redhead adjusting his glasses and trying to get the young boy to talk to him. Matt frowned as Tai resumed jabbing him in the back of head with his cane in playful reassurance. He batted the rubber stopper away, Tai smacking him on the shoulder instead, and looked to see if Sora would be there on the other side of the courtroom.

And of course she was, huddled close into Yutaka's side with his arm draped over her shoulders. Matt made a face, Yutaka glaring back at him, and was about to turn back to Cody when he paused. In the far back row, almost hiding together, Kari was sitting with TK. Matt felt hope rise in his chest and he tried to give a little smile. If TK was there, did that mean the man was going to forgive him? Did he finally believe Matt?

The younger blonde caught Matt's eye and then turned to his wife, whispering something to her that made her frown. Matt sighed deeply. Whatever had made TK reappear, it certainly wasn't him.

Cody was looking at Gabriel, not liking her Cheshire smile or the way she was sitting at her desk, acting as though the case was already won. He'd heard her in the hallway earlier, talking to someone on her cellphone and complaining about TK for some reason. He had thought, then, that she was finally on the run, that he could turn this whole mess around.

And now? Cody turned away to hide a shudder as Judge Catherine entered the room, instructing Gabriel to, "Call your witness."

Gabriel stood lazily, a warm smile curving her lips that only served to darken her eyes. Though she hadn't had much of a chance to interact with her new witness, she'd seen enough to know he would do what TK wouldn't.

"I call Reiichi Chabo to the stand."

Matt frowned at the name. There was something awfully familiar about it, but he couldn't quite place it. It wasn't until he looked up and saw the man walk into the courtroom that he paled, clenching his hands and trying to keep from throwing up.

His hair was short and fluffy, still bleached blonde from the first time they'd met, though his dark roots were longer than before. His eyes were blue, far too blue to be natural, and he was built tall and thin. He caught Matt's eye and winked at him, his memory obviously not warped from years of binge drinking.

 _How?_ Matt thought desperately, feeling his stomach roll and sweat beading up on his forehead. _How the_ hell _did she find_ him _?!_

TK blinked. He barely recognized his mirror-image.

"What is it?" Kari wondered. _Aside the obvious. Right down to blue contacts..._

"I know him," TK breathed in disbelief. "He was on my basketball team in middle school."

Kari grimaced. What was some strange person doing here? He couldn't have been on TK's team long; she would have remembered someone who looked exactly like her husband.

TK looked to his suddenly distraught brother, and then watched as Gabriel and Reiichi interacted as he wondered, _Is this_ _ **her**_ _idea of replacing me? Because I wouldn't testify how she wanted?_

Cody didn't like the way Matt was sweating next to him. He didn't like that the man could no longer control the twitching in his hands, much less the twitching that was going up his arms and to his back. Even Tai seemed concerned enough to still his godforsaken badgering, leaning forward to whisper reassurances. But what had happened with this man to make Matt flip out so bad? To make Gabriel so certain of her win?

Cody hid a grimace when he realized he was sure to find out soon enough.

"When did you meet Mr. Ishida?" Gabriel questioned. It had taken a while to find this man, and had cost a whole lot of favors she was sad to lose. But the way Matt was acting, even before one word was spoken, made her giddy as a school girl. At this point, even if she lost (which she didn't believe she _could_ at this point) she wouldn't be upset.

"When I was in high school, on the basketball team." Reiichi's voice was so calm, so gentle. So completely unlike the defendant who was beginning to worry even Judge Catherine. He spoke just as she had told him to, following the script so easily it was as though her words were his. "He was watching me."

"Can you tell us what happened after that?" For once, she had someone in her like mindset. When she looked over to Matt, he had his face buried in his forearms. She could actually _hear_ him trying to keep from vomiting and she had to suppress her laughter.

Reiichi smiled, speaking as though he was actually reliving that fateful night. "I could see how he looked at his brother when we... _met_ at one of his basketball games. It was part of the reason I went home with him."

Matt was biting his tongue, wondering if he had a drink of water would it calm him or finally give him something to heave. Cody was frowning at him, whispering softly, "Do I need to call a recess?"

But the shuddering blonde shook his head, croaking out, "No. I just want him _over_ with."

Reiichi continued, "When we got down into the mess of things-"

"Sex?" Gabriel interrupted, and the faux-blonde grinned.

"Of course."

"Go on." She couldn't wait to hear her words spill from his mouth, and she looked at Matt from the corner of her eye.

"It was sickening, really. He was crying out his brother's name the whole time..."

 _What? What?!_ Matt growled deep in his throat and forced the bile rising into recession. The stress from seeing his first mistake was quickly overrun with rage. "That's a lie!" he hissed to Cody.

Cody wasn't sure what to say. He'd never fully trusted the blonde, and wondered even now what secrets he was keeping. This whole thing was a "he said, she said" but the more "she said" the worse it looked for his client. He shushed Matt, promising the man his turn to defend himself as Tai thwapped the back of Matt's chair loud enough to make the bailiffs look their way.

In the back row, TK lowered his gaze to his lap, ignoring Kari's questioning looks. Had that really happened? TK wondered. Before, he wouldn't have been surprised. He would have just nodded and chalked the testimony up to another sin staining his brother's soul. But with the way Gabriel had spoken to him earlier, the things she'd told him to say...

TK pulled away from his wife, suddenly regretting his decision to stay. If he'd just gone home, gone back to the safety of his office and comfort of his children, he wouldn't have to question the things he'd known for years now.

Gabriel tossed her hair triumphantly over her shoulder, hearing the disgusted whispers of the jury. Though they weren't related, the jury would only see what had happened with Reiichi as incest. "So you went home with Yamato? What happened after that?"

"I bailed when his old man caught us." Reiichi shrugged calmly, as though he'd had years to process the memory. "I didn't want any part of that."

"And the next day?"

"He threatened to kill me in front of half the school!" Reiichi insisted, leaning back in his chair.

"No more questions," Gabriel sighed with a smile. She eyed Cody and Matt as she calmly returned to her desk. Cody glared and Matt was probably on the verge of hanging himself with his prison sheet at this rate.

Cody sighed deeply. He had no idea what to do now. There was nothing he could say now that would make the jury forget what Reiichi had said. He was about to stand, to tell the judge that he had no questions, when Matt caught his sleeve. The blonde was looking at him desperately, eyes glassy.

"He's a liar," Matt begged Cody to believe him. "I didn't say any of that!"

"What can I do?" Cody whispered back. "I have no evidence to refute his testimony. I _can't_ prove a negative, Yamato."

"Please..." Matt's hands were shaking, and the man stilled them by placing his fingertips to the metal plate under his flesh. Under his lawyer's stern emerald gaze, Matt repeated, "He's a _liar_..."

"Mr. Hida?" Judge Catherine said loudly, making the blonde man jump. "Are you going to question the witness or should we move on?"

Cody sighed, unable to dismiss the clear plead in Matt's eyes. He thought quickly as he cleared his throat, approaching the witness stand slowly, calculating. He stood before Reiichi, false blue eyes regarding him curiously. Matt was right, Cody had to admit, even the man's appearance was a complete lie.

"How did you meet?" Cody asked tentatively. "Remind me?"

Reiichi frowned. Gabriel had told him that the defense wouldn't be able to say anything to refute his story. He hadn't expected Cody to ask _anything._ "At a basketball practice."

Cody nodded, closing his eyes to think. After a moment, he inquired, "Were you a spectator?"

"I was on the team."

Questions were coming faster now. "What position?"

Reiichi hesitated. What was with this guy? What was he hoping to accomplish? A quick glance at Gabriel and she shrugged. She had no idea either, so the blonde replied, "It's been a long time. I don't remember. I switched around a lot..."

"When did you two leave together?"

"About a quarter through."

"If you're on the team, how is that possible?"

Reiichi blinked. The memory Gabriel had tweaked for him hadn't covered that. "I... I was kicked off the team..."

Cody nodded and finally felt like he was tearing down one of Gabriel's walls for a change. He didn't have to look at Matt to feel his client's gaze burning into his back, wondering what would happen next. "So were you on the team or not?"

"I was," Reiichi decided. Then he made a face. "But not that day."

Cody swept his hand to the jury, stating loudly, "So, you just lied to everyone here."

Gabriel stood, nearly falling over her own feet, "Objection!"

"Withdrawn," Cody snorted. He liked the split second of panic he heard in her voice. "Reiichi, once more, what position were you on the team?"

"Like I said, I don't remember..."

"Were you on Takeru's team or a different one?"

"Takeru's. I think." Had he said that earlier? Now he couldn't remember.

"What other clubs did you attend that year?"

"Christ, it was _how_ many years ago?" Reiichi barked. "I don't remember!"

"Okay..." Cody smiled at the panic he was raising. While it wouldn't undo what Reiichi had said, he could now see some of the older woman shaking their heads at Reiichi, disappointed in themselves for believing him. "Answer me this, since you remember my client so well: were you on top or bottom when you two had sex that night?"

"I..." Reiichi looked around. He honestly didn't remember. "Top. I'm not a fag like him."

"Is that the truth or a lie?" Cody insisted. "Or do you just not _remember_?"

"What does this have to do with Mr. Ishida?" Gabriel whined.

"I'll move on," Cody breathed. He was finally regaining the upper hand, something he never thought he'd be able to do with one of Gabriel's cases. "I have one last question. Do you _really_ remember Yamato calling Takeru's name?"

Reiichi grinned. The pressure was getting to him. He was unable to think as quick as Cody did, unable to understand the nonverbal hints from Gabriel as she cringed at her seat. He was even unable to look at Matt, who was slowly unclenching his hands and sighing with color returning to his face. Reiichi shrugged in defeat and said, "I don't remember. I guess it was just a dream I had, then."

"Nothing further." Cody said, triumph evident in his voice. He returned to his desk and sat next to Matt, his client holding back from outright hugging the man.

"Do you have any more witnesses Mrs. Dolphinus?" Judge Catherine asked, and Gabriel just glowered as Reiichi was lead from the courtroom.

"No." The lawyer sighed deeply. "Prosecution rests."

"Then we'll pick up with the defense case-in-chief tomorrow. We're dismissed." The judge banged her gavel and Matt almost melted in his chair.

"What does that mean?" he asked, exhausted. His stomach was still churning, but he no longer felt like vomiting. Now he just wanted to pass out.

"It means we finally get the chance to defend ourselves," Cody explained. He glanced over to Gabriel, the woman glaring intensely out of the corner of her eye. He didn't like how she was watching them, surely planning something up in her twisted mind. "Instead of just trying to undo what Gabriel began."

"You did great, man," Tai said. Matt smiled, but he couldn't quite meet his best friend's eye."I don't know who that guy was up there, but he's an asshole."

"Tai..." Joe warned, glancing at Aiko. The boy was still pouting, but he'd moved closer to his father. As mad as he was, he couldn't stand not being near the only relative he had left.

"The kid's smart enough not to repeat my shit," Tai replied with a shrug. "Ain't that right, Ai?" When the boy refused to play along, Tai sighed. "Well, he's smarter than Bug, at least."

"I hate to run, Matt," Izzy said with a comforting smile, "but I do need to get back to my parents' and pick up the kids. I'm sure Jaciru is driving my mother crazy."

"At least their summer clubs are starting up tomorrow," Tai said as the bailiffs came to collect Matt. "Don't worry, dude, we'll be here no matter what."

"I'll hold you to that," Matt warned, for once not dreading the walk back to his cell. Tomorrow, everything would go perfect. Everyone would see Gabriel's lies for what they were, and this would all be done with.


	13. Chapter 13

_I never claimed to be a saint..._

* * *

Tai sat in Cody's office, bouncing his cane on the plush carpeting. He looked out the window to the city's cloudy skyline as the sun began its descent. His leg was throbbing horribly, making him miss the bitter, powdery taste of his vicodin, and the scars hidden under his pants were itching. It was going to rain overnight, he knew. He chewed his tongue to ignore the pain like he always did and pouted when he realized that he missed Izzy terribly. The man had only just left him at Cody's office to pick up the kids and try and convince Jaciru that, yes, she _had_ to go to summer clubs at the school. His little redheaded brat was already being a pest that her soccer season had ended, unable to wait until next year's tryouts.

Tai smiled to himself, looking at his cane and examining the reptilian head carved straight form the polished wood. It looked so much like Greymon, Kari had explained, that she just _had_ to buy it for him. He couldn't wait to get this little "meeting" with Cody over with so he could be with his family again.

"Can you think of anything Gabriel might try and bring up?" the lawyer was asking, and Tai looked up as he was pulled from his thoughts. They were going over Tai's testimony, certain that the friendship that had endured between the pair would be more than enough to convince the jury that Matt wasn't a monster.

"I dunno," Tai replied. He spun his cane between his palms. "I haven't done much else aside play soccer and have kids. I don't drink, I've never done drugs, hell, I barely attended any of Genki's parties in our off-seasons." The brunette grinned. "She could bring up that Bug's a spoiled little brat, but I don't see how that would help _her_."

"I doubt your children will have any impact on her questioning," Cody sighed. Even now, Tai was far too relaxed about all this. It was as though the man had no questions whatsoever about Matt's innocence, seeing the whole trial as a waste of time for everyone. Cody wished that he could be so certain about the outcome as the original leader could be. "Now, remember Tai, I need you to take this _seriously_."

"C'mon, man," Tai laughed. He sat up straighter, looking at Cody with a seriousness that didn't fit with his warm smile. "This is _Matt_ we're talking about. Sure, the guy can be an emo-asshole, but he's got a heart of gold. If he'd done anything wrong _ever_ I don't think he would have missed." Tai tapped his own forehead to reinforce his point. "I just gotta go up there and tell the jury that Matt's a great guy who deserves his kids probably more than I deserve mine."

Cody sat back and sighed. There was nothing he could say to deter Tai from his optimism. "Just keep that confidence and you'll do fine. Don't let Gabriel intimidate you."

Tai slowly hauled himself to his feet, wobbling unsteadily for a moment. His leg was warning him that he'd better get home before the skies opened up. He grinned, keeping the strain from his expression as he'd done for the past three years since his accident. "Oh please, _Jaciru_ is more intimidating than that woman could ever hope to be."

"Glad to hear that," Cody said with a hint of a smile. It was as close to an outright grin as the man had ever expressed and Tai took it for what it was – relief that Tai wasn't going to be swayed by Gabriel's tactics.

* * *

Tai stepped out of the cab at his house, waving a goodnight to the man who managed to be more talkative than _Davis_. It did make Tai happy that he still had fans, despite not playing professional soccer in years. Hell, he barely managed to help Jaciru practice for more than a few minutes at a time before his leg got the better of him. The doctors told him to go back on pain pills to help with his constant agony, but Tai refused. Vicodin left him in such a haze he could barely tell the difference between days, and he had no desire to become some drooling lump on the couch while his kids closed themselves off like they had before.

His cane clicked on the driveway as he slowly lumbered to his front door. The setting sun had painted his house a beautiful golden orange, his windows reflecting the red and gray clouds overhead. It was such a picturesque moment, that he lingered for just a moment before opening the door.

Inside, past the foyer and over that damn half-step the architect insisted on when Tai wasn't injured, Izzy was typing away at his computer. Multiple monitors were reflected in his glasses, and Tai was pretty sure the only reason the living room lamp had been turned on was because Nakayama was reading on the couch. Jaciru was down the hall in her room, and Tai could hear her TV blaring, probably covering up the noise of her kicking her soccer ball indoors. The brunette ruffled Nakayama's bushy brown hair as he passed by, getting a smile and a hug back, and finally collapsed on Izzy, hugging his husband tightly.

"How did things go with Cody?" the redhead asked, turning away from his work to lean into Tai's embrace.

"Pretty good," Tai responded, setting his chin on Izzy's head with a sigh. His weight was probably getting uncomfortable, but not only did he just love Izzy that much, but his leg was on the verge of locking up and he wasn't sure he could move for a few minutes. "Just warning me that Gabriel'll probably be psycho tomorrow."

"Can you handle her?" Izzy asked. As confident as he was in Matt's innocence, he didn't like the thought of her going after his husband. There was no telling what she would drag up and, knowing Tai, he would probably say something stupid as a joke and she would tear it apart.

"Don't worry about her," Tai said as Izzy snaked his arms around his waist. The redhead squeezed him tight, the worry he held escaping through their embrace. "I'll be fine. I'll tell the jury that Sora's crazy for thinking what she does and that Matt's wonderful."

"But... What about the evidence they found?" Izzy glanced at Nakayama. They boy was incredibly smart, picking up on the small hints that Jaciru didn't catch when Izzy had to explain the things Sora had exposed.

Tai shrugged, finally finding the strength to stand back upright. He stretched lazily and gave Izzy a confident half-smile. "It's just a police screw up, I'm sure. Ken'll show up any day now to tell us what really happened."

Izzy nodded. Tai knew Matt better than any of the other Children, probably more than Joe did. They had been best friends ever since they were ten, and there was nothing that could tear them apart, not even a decade of lost contact. Whatever Tai said about the blonde, Izzy was more than inclined to agree with.

Tai leaned on his cane, listening to the crash of something breaking in Jaciru's room as the girl quickly turned up the volume on her TV. He sighed, not wanting to have to give her another lecture about playing indoors, and asked Izzy, "What are we having for dinner, hm? It's not something _you're_ cooking, is it?"

Izzy rolled his eyes at the playful insult and Nakayama chirped happily from the couch, "Mama ordered us a pizza! He said you wouldn't want to cook when you came home, so Jaciru and I got to choose!"

"I thought it would get here before you did," Izzy admitted as Jaciru suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway, whistling innocently. The redhead looked to his daughter and asked, "What did you break now, Jaci?"

" _I_ didn't break anything," the girl said. "My soccer ball happened to just roll off the edge of my bed and right into my trophy case."

Tai sighed as Izzy looked to him. He wouldn't have to lecture Jaciru as much as he did if _he_ hadn't broken so many windows himself at their old apartment. "C'mon, Bug, let's sit down."

The girl whined, but followed her father to the kitchen. At least if Tai timed his speech right, it would end just in time to eat.

* * *

Late that night, Jaciru was sprawled out on Tai's recliner, snoring through the primetime movie of the week. Nakayama had wisely decided to go to bed earlier, much more excited for the summer clubs than his older twin was. Tai and Izzy were happily curled up together on the couch, just as invested in the movie as their daughter.

"Are you worried about tomorrow?" Izzy asked softly. Tai was running a hand through his hair, playing with the frizzy strands. "About what Gabriel is going to ask you?"

"Nah," Tai snorted. He kissed Izzy on the forehead and gently touched the normally hidden scar at the base of his throat. A twinge of guilt tore at Tai's heart, like it did every time he saw the old wound, but he smiled. "Matt's my best friend. I'd go through Hell and back for him just like he would for me."

Izzy yawned and stretched, untangling himself from his husband. They would have to get to bed soon so that Tai could be refreshed and ready for his day in court. He gave Tai's hand a reassuring squeeze before heading over to his daughter, gently shaking her. "Jaci? Get up, sweetie, it's time for bed."

The girl whined and wriggled in her sleep, and Izzy smiled. She acted the same, no matter her state of consciousness. The phone began to ring in the corner and Izzy said over his shoulder, "Can you get that, Tai? Jaci's going to be a handful for a while."

"No prob," Tai said. He grabbed his cane and stumbled for a step or two before falling into his practiced hobble. As usual, he snatched the phone up on the last ring, answering far too cheerily for the late hour, "This is Tai."

Izzy managed to get Jaciru to open her eyes at least, even if she was still drooling with sleep. He ruffled her hair and patted her on the back, encouraging her to wakefulness. "Let's go, Jaci, you're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"I don't wanna go to school," the girl whined, finally sitting up on her own. "It's summer, why do we have to have clubs in the _summer_?"

"If you're so opposed to it, get on student council like Nakayama's trying to," Izzy told her and she made a face.

"What are you talking about?!" Tai yelped suddenly. Izzy hurried over to his husband and Jaciru frowned in concern.

"What's going on?" the shorter asked as Tai fumed. "Who is it?"

"It's Cody," Tai snapped, an unfamiliar foulness in his voice. "Apparently, Gabriel just severed him a motion to prevent me from testifying on Matt's behalf!"

"What?" Izzy took the phone as Tai fumed. "Cody, what happened?"

The lawyer was in just as bad a mood apparently as he growled. "It's her latest tactic. She said Tai's 'too popular' and that the jury will be tainted by his fame. I don't believe a word of it, but she managed to convince a judge to sign her papers." Cody sighed. "I needed Tai to be a witness of Matt's childhood. Otherwise, all I have is Malcolm, and the jury won't believe him on his own word. He's Matt's _father_ , they're going to expect him to be on Matt's side..."

"Hold on just a moment," Izzy said and even Tai stopped to look at him. "I've known Matt for just as long as Tai has. Why can't I testify?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "That... wouldn't be a terrible idea," Cody said slowly. Then he sighed. "I won't have any time to prep you, however."

"That's fine," Izzy said. "You've been working with Tai, and he can help me out the best he can."

"That'll work," Tai said and even Cody hmm'ed an agreement.

"Just make sure you can stand your ground," the lawyer warned. "Gabriel _will_ be ruthless. Have Tai go over everything I've been talking to him about. You'll be going up first thing in the morning."

"We'll be prepared," Izzy promised.

"All right then." Tai took a breath. "Let's get Bug to bed and we'll start practicing."

* * *

Tai sat on the bench like he had for the past few days. He bounced his cane on the floor idly like he usually did, and smiled at Joe as the tall doctor sat beside him. Aiko, in about the same mood as yesterday, sat next to him.

"Where's Mr. Izumi?" the boy asked, ever polite even while fuming.

"I thought _you_ were going to testify," Joe said, frowning in concern.

"There's some kinda glitch," Tai said with a tiny smile. His leg was throbbing up to his hip, making it hard to remain confident. "But Izzy's going up there today."

"How are Jaciru and Nakayama?" Aiko asked. He hadn't seen them since the first day of the trial.

"They're fine. They have summer clubs starting today, so they left right after we did." Living outside of town, the twins had to walk almost two blocks to reach the bus stop that would take them to their school. "Izzy's folks are going to pick them up after they get out."

Gabriel was already sitting at her desk, legs crossed and looking at her nails. Tai had thought he'd heard her on her cell phone when he first arrived, but when he looked at her she had shoved it inside her purse, the thing looking nowhere near sophisticated or fancy enough for the dark woman's tastes – almost like a prepaid knockoff, or something. Sitting there now, she was just smiling. Practically humming with joy. It made his skin crawl.

Cody was there early, too, looking over something in his briefcase. He'd looked at Tai the moment he'd walked in, and the brunette had just nodded at him. He'd spent a few hours going over everything Cody had talk to him about, wanting to prepare Izzy as much as he could.

Matt was lead inside in handcuffs, released just as Judge Catherine entered. She took her seat, speaking idly, "I hear we've _already_ had a change of roster, Mr. Hida?"

"Yes, ma'am." Cody couldn't stop the dirty look he gave Gabriel, but the woman was ignoring him. The defense attorney calmed himself with a breath, knowing he couldn't let her get the better of him, and said, "My first witness is Koushiro Izumi."

Tai looked to the side door impatiently, looking for his husband to emerge. He hadn't been separated from Izzy in years, and couldn't believe just how much he already missed the man.

When noone appeared, Cody cleared his throat impatiently, calling for Izzy one more time. Judge Catherine raised one eyebrow and leaned over her podium, regarding the door with just as much intensity as Tai.

The door stayed shut.

"Bailiff," the judge said, "please escort Mr. Izumi to the courtroom."

The officer nodded and disappeared into the side room. It was possible, Tai reasoned, that Izzy just hadn't heard his name be called. Maybe he was tired from last night, or maybe he was distracted with thinking about upgrading his OS. Or maybe he...

"He's not there," the bailiff announced, and Tai would have flown to his feet if he could have.

Not there?! Izzy had left before him, taking the van and wanting to get as accustomed to the room as possible. He should have been there before Tai!

"Mr. Hida?" Judge Catherine asked. "You _did_ inform your witness of his obligation to appear, didn't you?"

"O-of course, your honor," Cody said. Matt was sitting, bewildered next to him. He hadn't even been aware that Tai and Izzy were switching, and now the redhead was gone? "There must have been some kind of mistake..."

"Mistake as it is," Judge Catherine sighed, "it is the witness's responsibility to adhere to his schedule. Until he is brought before the court to testify, I hereby place Koushiro Izumi in contempt." The gavel fell, the bang echoing in the court. "In light of his absence, Mr. Hida, please call your next witness."

"What does that mean, 'contempt'?" Tai hissed as Cody began to scramble. The lawyer was looking through his notes, trying to remember who he had lined up to defend Matt's name.

"It's, uh..." Cody glanced at Gabriel, the woman beaming with joy. "Unfortunately, Izzy knew he was supposed to show up and he didn't. That means he'll be placed under arrest for violating the court's orders."

"Under arrest?!" Tai snapped and Judge Catherine called for order. "But we don't know where he is! How can he be under arrest?!"

"Tai, I don't know, I..." Cody grabbed a paper, ignoring Tai as he sputtered angrily. "My next witness is, ah, Mr. Malcolm Ishida. Your Honor, I'll need to call a brief recess in order to contact him."

"I'll give you thirty minutes," the judge said.

"You're going to need more than that for my dad," Matt grumbled, looking to Tai worriedly. If _Tai_ didn't know where Izzy was, there was no telling what had happened.

There was a rumble of whispers growing in the courtroom, increasing into a thunderous din. Again, Judge Catherine had to call for order, but what truly brought silence was the sudden opening of the courtroom doors. Straight-backed and tense, Ken hurried into the room. His badge bounced on his chest with every step, trenchcoat flowing behind him. Every eye was on him as he rushed to the front of the room, stopping just short of the bar.

"Yes, Detective?" the judge asked with a frown.

Ken bowed politely. "I apologize, Judge Catherine, for the interruption to your court." He looked, not to Cody or even to Matt, but sighed in relief when he saw Tai. "I'm glad I found you. You need to come with me."

"What's going on?" Tai asked. Panic was gripping at his chest. "Is Izzy ok?!"

" _Please_ , Taichi, time is of the essence," Ken spoke, desperation dripping from his every word.

Tai ignored Joe as the doctor tried to hand him his cane. He shoved himself to his feet, ignoring the throb that locked up his ankle. His muscles were twitching, quivering, and when he set his foot down, pressing all his weight onto it, he fell. Tai hit the floor, hard, biting his tongue and busting his lip.

"Shit, Tai?!" Matt looked ready to leap over the bar. Cody held the blonde back before the bailiffs had to restrain him, and Tai slapped away Joe's hands as the doctor tried to help him up.

"Get _off_ me, damnit," Tai grumbled. He snatched his cane from the floor and most crushed Joe's toes as he forced himself back up, wiping the blood from his mouth. He didn't even glace back as he followed Ken from the courtroom, barely hearing Judge Catherine call for a recess. He could only think of Izzy, and the horrible things that could have befallen him.


	14. Chapter 14

_Ooh, my own was banished long ago_

 _It took the death of hope to let you go_

* * *

It took Matt a minute to remember where he was. Cody's voice telling him to sit was far away, echoing somewhere in the back of his mind. All he could think was, _Tai is gone. He promised he'd be here, and now he's gone..._

It took the heavy hand of a bailiff on his shoulder for him to understand what had actually happened.

Izzy was missing.

Ken had come for Tai.

And now Tai had left him, all alone.

Matt shook his head, realizing how selfish he was being. Of course Tai would rush out for a family emergency, just like any _good_ husband and father would have. Judge Catherine was saying something, calling for a short recess, while Gabriel sat there, a dark smile on her face. The woman had her legs crossed, kicking her foot idly as she inspected her nails. She was _enjoying_ this, for God's sake. And when he looked at Cody?

His lawyer was on his cell phone, calling the thee different contact numbers that all lead to the same voicemail. He was getting more and more frustrated with every message he left. Sure, Malcolm wasn't due to come to court until the next day, but to make himself completely unreachable?

"What is wrong with your father?" Cody hissed, finally making it through to the TV station's secretary. Now he was on hold while his minutes dwindled. "Is he always like this?"

Matt nodded, twisting around to look at the full, yet suddenly so empty, courtroom. Joe was still there, Aiko finally allowing his father to pull him close. Tai's abrupt departure was slowly stirring up the nightmares in the boy's mind he thought he'd made it past, and he looked on the verge of tears. Mimi had turned to the closest Child to her, worriedly demanding answers from Davis and Daimu that they couldn't give.

TK was sitting in the back with Kari. The blonde met his older brother's eye before hurriedly turning back to his wife. It hurt that TK couldn't even look at Matt, but as long as he was there, Matt was happy. Yolie had turned to Sora, asking if she was all right, but the woman couldn't meet her friend's gaze. Matt felt a sneer pull at his lips. Was it guilt he could see in her tense form? Had she done something to Izzy?

"Hello, Mr. Ishida?" Cody said suddenly into his phone, and Matt looked to his lawyer. "There's been a change of schedule. I need you here to testify... In about fifteen minutes... I understand you're busy, but you need to be _here_... Mr. Ishida, please..."

Matt glowered at his hands, shaking on the tabletop. Of course his father would be "too busy". Malcolm had been "too busy" for him his whole life.

"Thank you, Mr. Ishida. We'll see you soon." Cody looked to Matt. There was still a hesitancy to his voice as he told his client, "Your dad is leaving the office now, he should be here in a few minutes."

"Yeah," Matt grumbled, still wondering about Tai. "At least until someone asks him to stay..."

* * *

Tai flung himself into Ken's car, waiting impatiently for the detective to drive off. He continued to tap his cane between his feet, touching a hand to the blood that was dripping off his chin. A bruise was beginning to form on his hip, only contributing to the pain and ache of his leg.

As soon as Ken was in the car, Tai demanded, "Do you know what happened to Izzy?"

"Izzy's fine," Ken said, speeding into traffic with sirens blaring. "He's at the station with Natalie."

"Why is he there if he's fine?" The wood of Tai's cane began to crack under his grip. "What about my kids?"

There was a pause. Then a slow, unsure, "Jaciru is safe."

"What about Nakayama?"

Ken only drove faster.

"Shit!" Tai slammed his hand against his door. "What happened to my son?"

"Jaciru is telling us right now. We're taking her statement, but I wanted you to be there as soon as you could."

Tai tried to remain calm. Tried to find that warm center that Izzy had always been for him. But with Ken's words, there was nothing inside but chaos. Was Nakayama hurt? Dead? Tai closed his eyes tight, but he couldn't stop the tears from escaping. And what about Jaciru? Had she seen whatever had happened? Had she... done something to him? No, she loved her brother – she'd never hurt him!

As fast as they were driving, it still took an eternity to reach the station. Tai was out of the car before it stopped, hobbling into the busy station. His leg throbbed, his new bruise ached, his lip pulsed. He was aware of Ken behind him, calling out for him to wait. But he couldn't hear anything other than his heartbeat in his ears.

He shoved past a few officers, forcing his way into the station. His eyes scanned the station, jumping from desk to desk until...

"Izzy!"

The redhead had been sitting at a desk, speaking to an officer. At the shout of his name, he stood and whirled around. Tears were dried on his cheeks, and the top buttons of his shirt were undone to expose the scar across his throat. Izzy reached out and Tai fell into his arms, squeezing his husband tight.

"Iz," Tai breathed against the top of his head. His husband was quivering, trembling and on the verge of falling apart. "Iz, what's happened?"

"Nakayama is missing!" Izzy cried desperately, voice cracking. "Oh, God, Tai, someone _took_ him! Jaciru is..." The redhead bit back a sob. "She's talking to... to a detective about..."

There was a touch on his shoulder, and Tai pulled back from his husband just enough to see Ken standing beside him.

"Jaciru is with Detective Acevedo," Ken said softly. "She's telling her about what happened."

He motioned for the couple to move and, still holding hands, they approached a one-way mirror. It overlooked a small room, warmly lit and filled with soft chairs and squishy pillows. There was a tall woman sitting at a child's table, with frizzy blue hair and a gentle accent. She wasn't speaking much, however, just listening to the angry ranting of the redheaded girl. Jaciru's face was bruised, lip just as bloody as her father's. When she reached up to slam her fist on the table, there were makings on her forearm, the beginnings of a bruise in the shape of a hand print.

Ken looked to the distraught couple before reaching over and turning on the speaker, filling the small hallway with Jaciru's rage.

* * *

Cody was relieved when Malcolm finally entered the courtroom with only minutes to spare. Even Judge Catherine had looked ready to call for another contempt charge before the doors opened and Malcolm appeared. The man looked like he'd been dragged face down through the seven hells instead of just having to drive across town. He was haggard, the lines in his face deeper than ever before. His hair was completely silver, though still thick, and his eyes were sharp as they had ever been. The suit he wore to work was wrinkled, a coffee stain hidden under his overcoat.

Every eye was on the man, but he was used to the cold stares. He was used to the roll of eyes as he tried to excuse his tardiness. He was used to the way Matt refused to acknowledge him as he passed by. He sighed internally, trying to keep the disappointment from his expression. He never meant to hurt Matt...

Cody, still keeping his distance, watched as the blond cracked his neck as Malcolm took the stand, quickly being sworn in. The attorney rushed from his seat, still upset, and tried to compose himself in Malcolm's presence. "Mr. Ishida, can you tell us about your son's childhood?"

"Which part?" Matt ran a trembling hand through his hair and Malcolm let his gaze lower for just a moment. He felt horrible for not being there sooner in the day. In Matt's marriage.

"Just, in general," Cody specified. "How was he?"

Malcolm leaned back in the uncomfortable chair. "Well, a handful, but I was a single father. Still, he was always kind to others. He always looked out for his little brother."

Cody nodded, "Explain in your words about the incidents involving your wife, Nancy."

"My ex-wife..." Malcolm licked his lips. It had been years since he'd been like this, expected to say these words. "She... molested our son..." He paused. Matt twisted his lips. For a second the man felt sympathy to his father; this wasn't easy for him - it never had been. "She had a brain tumor that affected her judgment, so she _knew_ what she was doing was wrong, but she just couldn't..."

Matt turned away from his father, staring at Cody's empty chair. His father's words echoed in his mind. The same ones he'd been saying since Matt was seven. She was sick. She knew what she was doing was wrong, but she couldn't stop herself. Matt's a good boy, he'd never do anything.

It was enough to turn Matt's stomach.

"How did that change Yamato?" Cody asked. It was one of the usual questions and Matt let himself fall away, lose himself in the same courtroom from his childhood.

"He was a handful, like I said." Malcolm clasped his hands together tight enough to make his fingers tingle. "Problems at school, wouldn't give me the time of day at home..."

"Was Nancy charged?"

"Yes."

"Convicted?"

"No... and Matt, I'm sorry about that. If I had..." Malcolm stopped himself. This wasn't the time for that same old story again, he realized. He straightened at the stand. "I feel that is one of the things that effected him the most."

"Thank you. Your witness," Cody said, motioning to Gabriel. She smiled with a pseudo cocky nod and placed her hands cross.

"Mr. Ishida," she began with that same triumphant smile she'd been wearing all day, "did your wife have full access to your son?"

"Only before the divorce. She was the primary caregiver."

"So, you weren't home often?" she wondered.

Malcolm found his strength faltering. He had been strong for too long. His own walls were crumbling as fast as his son's. "I, I worked late a lot."

"Ah," Gabriel noted with a pause, "How did you find out about this abuse if you were never present when it occurred?"

"Through the police station."

"How did they find out?"

"Matt was having problems at his elementary school and they contacted the police after a particular incident. He was fighting a lot and when..."

Gabriel waited, tapped her foot. "Go on."

"When a bully pulled down his pants, he threatened to do... _things_ to the child..."

Gabriel's smile turned into a full on grin, as though she knew what he was going to say. "What kind of things?"

Malcolm looked to his white knuckles. "... He threatened to rape him. I don't think Matt really knew what that meant, though," he clarified quickly, but Gabriel continued on with that same grin.

"Still, the defense claims you're a loving father... So how did a _loving father_ not notice what was going on under his roof? The roof he provides for?"

Malcolm grit his teeth. He'd heard all these barbs before – from his own son some days! That didn't mean it didn't hurt to hear... "Things were complicated."

"After the divorce, what did you do with such a deviant child?"

"I tried to get him therapy," Malcolm said to his clenched fists. He was just glad no one could see them beyond the podium. The judge could, though, and he could tell she was frowning. "...nothing helped."

"Nothing helped him because his father didn't _try_ to help him further." Gabriel pressed. She shrugged grandly, speaking to the jury more than to Malcolm. "After all, you couldn't make time for appointments, could you?"

"I did the best I could!" Malcolm insisted, pleading with the hardened eyes of the jury. The men in the box were giving him the same look all the others in the hospital gave him – why didn't he get help sooner? Why was he such a miserable failure?

Matt was just as riled up as his father and it took everything in him and a forced stare to the nearby bailiff not to reach over and choke the bitch harassing his flesh and blood. As angry as he was with Malcolm, that gave Gabriel no right to tear him down. Only Matt could do that!

"Let's go back a little." There was a laugh in Gabriel's voice as she spoke, ignoring the burning glare from the defendant. "Explain, _again_ , why you never noticed what was going on?"

"I had a new job, we had just moved to Heighten View Terrace and Takeru was a newborn then."

"So, you left your wife at home with a newborn and another child?"

"We didn't have a choice," Malcolm pleaded. "Nancy was estranged from her family; my father had passed away and my mother couldn't take in all of us. I should have noticed how she changed, with the headaches and mood swings, but I thought it was stress, you know?! What was I supposed to do?!" Malcolm took a moment to catch his breath and met the jury's gaze again. Tell his sob story to someone that might listen. "Maybe if I had been a better husband I would have noticed how much Nancy had changed..."

Gabriel blinked at his odd choice of words. "Nancy, or your son, Mr. Ishida?"

"Excuse me?"

The prosecutor had a smile like an oil spill: slick and deadly, strangling the life out of anything it touched. "You loved your _wife_ more than your own child, didn't you?"

* * *

"We were walking down the street together," Jaciru said. She had her lips set in a pout and she was glaring at the marks on her arm. Natalie was smiling gently, wordlessly pressing the child further. "Me and Kaya. Well, racing really – I can run really fast and Kaya can't, so I race him all the time."

Ken glanced at the worried parents and Izzy said softly, "Jaciru is very active and Nakayama's more... scholarly."

"But Bug'll take down anyone who makes fun of Kaya," Tai clarified. "She loves him."

"What happened next?" Natalie encouraged. There was paper and crayons nearby, but Jaciru had all the artistic talent of an ant. She was more about action.

"I beat Kaya to the corner. He was yelling at me, saying I was a cheater, but I told him it wasn't _my_ fault he didn't hear me say 'go'. I went back to him and I dragged him with me."

"Was there anything odd at the corner?" the detective pressed. "Anything different?"

Jaciru scowled at the crayons. She reached out and began ripping the paper off the wax sticks. "A van. It didn't belong to anyone in our neighborhood, I know because people come by all the time and tell Papa to keep me away from their new cars."

Tai shrugged at another look from Ken. "She kicked a soccer ball through the windshield of some guy's Jag last year. Not our fault he kept it on the driveway instead of in his garage."

"What happened then?"

Jaciru frowned. Guilt flashed in her watery black eyes. "There was this guy. He got out of the van and... and..."

"It's ok, sweetheart," Natalie said. "Go on."

"He came up to us and asked for directions." Jaciru ran her nose across her sleeve. "Mama always told us: never talk to strangers. So I ignored him. I tried to get Kaya to come with me – we were so close to the bus stop! And then..."

"And then what, Jaciru?"

"I... I dunno." The girl kicked her feet angrily under her chair as she began snapping the naked crayons into pieces with every word. "We were walking and I was calling Kaya a nerd 'cause of some dumb experiment he was telling me about. Then... Then I fell. I think the man hit me with something. Kaya was screaming, so I tried to stand up.

"When I looked, the man had his hand around Kaya's throat. Kaya was trying to kick him, but I don't think he could breathe too good. So I tried to grab him, the man not Kaya, and I bit him really hard. He screamed and grabbed my arm."

"Did he say anything?"

"He said something like, uh, 'Both is too much' or something like that." To her credit, Natalie didn't jump at the words like Ken did. "Then the man kicked me. I fell and I couldn't breathe, like the time Reimi hit me in the stomach with a soccer ball, and he dragged Kaya into his van. I saw him get on his phone and he drove away – left marks on the road and everything." Jaciru bowed her head, her shoulders shaking.

Natalie reached out, put a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "It's ok, sweetheart. You did everything you could, you shouldn't be upset."

"Upset?" Jaciru snorted and looked up. There was a fire in her eyes behind her tears. "I'm not upset. I'm _pissed off_ that someone hurt Kaya!"

Tai let out a relieved burst of laughter. He should have known his daughter wouldn't let herself get down. She always had his passion burning in her chest.

Even Natalie smiled. "Can you remember what the man looked like?"

"He, uh..." Jaciru looked at her pile of broken crayons. She picked out a black one and made a scribble on the paper covering the table. "He had black hair, kinda wavy like Detective Ichijouji's. And he was tall – taller than Papa. He was all swole, like Papa says, and he had some kinda tattoo on his wrist right here." She pointed to her left hand. "It didn't look pretty like Genki's tattoos, but like a kid drew it." She paused, frowning with thought.

"Is there anyone in your neighborhood like that?" Ken asked.

"Noone with tattoos," Tai said, shaking his head. Izzy twisted his lips, adjusting his glasses. "Why would someone take Kaya? Or hurt Bug?"

"There's no telling," Ken sighed heavily. This was the worst part, the children attacked and their families left behind. He knew of any number of reasons to take a ten year old boy, but none that his friends needed to hear.

"Wait, I remember, now," Jaciru said suddenly, drawing all attention to her. "He had silver eyes, too."

The color drained from Tai's face, and Izzy fell heavily onto his husband. Ken reached out to support the two and Izzy whispered with trembling lips, "Oh, God... Black hair and silver eyes... Tai, it's..." He reached up, clasping a hand around the scar at his throat. "It's Eiri. Tai - Eiri took Nakayama!"

* * *

"Objection!" Cody cried out. Matt bit his lip harshly and clenched his hands into fists. The question had always been in the back of his mind, buried under his rage and despair. With Gabriel's words, bringing his fears to life, he didn't even need to hear the answer.

Gabriel chuckled, withdrawing her tainted question as she returned to her seat and whispered to Cody, "Your turn..."

Cody growled to himself and marched out. "Malcolm," he snapped. "Let's talk about Yamato as a teenager. How did you handle him?"

There was disappointment in the attorney's voice. Disappointment Malcolm was used to hearing and he sighed. "I made sure he knew I was always there to talk to."

"Despite this, there were problems?"

"I think we've covered that enough already," Malcolm breathed.

"Indeed," Cody snapped, glaring back at Gabriel. "So, what turned him around?"

"His mother," Malcolm stated softly. "There was an intervention, of sorts. We all talked to him and he straightened himself out shortly after."

"Thank you... Mr. Ishida," Cody said. Once again Gabriel swarmed the center of the courtroom.

She waited a second, watching Malcolm sweat. She twitched her upper lip, "Whose idea was the intervention? It wasn't yours, was it?"

"N-No..." The father's gaze met his youngest's, the man hiding in the back of the courtroom. It was hard for Malcolm to see him so far away, so reluctant to be near what remained of his family. "It was Takeru's."

"Did you discipline your eldest son in any way?" Gabriel asked, almost laughing at the word "discipline". If the man had any discipline, they wouldn't be there in the first place!

"I scolded him," Malcolm mumbled, repeating it when the court reporter claimed he couldn't hear him.

"Oh? A chit-chat. I see. So, Yamato cares for his brother, even after all that?"

"Matt has always loved his little brother."

"In what way?"

"Not in the way you're implying!" Malcolm insisted. "Just like any older brother should! He never wanted Takeru to go through the same pain he did!"

"When did he finally tell Takeru 'the truth'?"

"At Matt's high school graduation."

"Why did it take so long?" Gabriel was asking the jury, delighting in the way they were looking at Malcolm. "Takeru was living with such a 'monster' - wouldn't you want him to know?"

Malcolm could see the way both his children tensed at the word. Matt had only ever used "monster" to describe his mother when she hurt him, and TK could never stand when anyone disrespected his mother. "Matt may have handled things poorly, but I supported him. It was _his_ decision to make."

"At any time in his life, did you ever feel Yamato felt anything... inappropriate for his brother?"

"Of course not." Of this Malcolm was certain. Matt always loved TK, always knew what pain his mother had put him through. There was nothing Matt wouldn't do to make sure TK was safe.

Gabriel chuckled again, "Then why do I have eye-witness statements collaborating an argument between you and the defendant in which he _admits_ to having wanted to molest his brother during your ex-wife's funeral in France?"

"...Matt..." Malcolm looked to his hands. He couldn't feel his fingers anymore. "He isn't capable of something like that."

"Of course," Gabriel sneered. "A father would _always_ side with his son. Nothing further, your honor."

Judge Catherine let her gavel fall as Cody shook his head, denying Malcolm any more questions. The woman watched as Malcolm was lead away from the stand, unable to meet his son's gaze, and she spoke, "I will be ending our Friday early. We'll meet back Monday morning, first thing."

Gabriel smiled, grabbing her cell phone as Matt was lead away to his cell. There were a few things she had to make sure of before Monday.

* * *

"Who is Eiri?" Ken asked.

It took a moment for the couple to come to, and Tai was the one to find his voice. "Eiri Gintama. He... He was a bully in high school. _My_ bully, actually. He thought he owned the school because of how rich he was and he couldn't accept that I was a better soccer player than he was. He knew I was going on a scholarship and he did everything he could to get me kicked out. When he found out I was gay, he started going after Izzy..."

The redhead's words were hushed. His fingers were running over his scar, tracing the thin white mark over and over. "There was a soccer game - semi-finals. Eiri was kept on the bench the whole time. I was having a panic attack, so I left the stands to get some fresh air. That's when..." Izzy swallowed hard, shivering with the memory that flashed behind his eyes. "He found me and knocked me out. When I came to, he was telling his friends to... to kill me. They wouldn't do it, so he tried to stab me..."

"What happened?" Ken breathed. He'd never known where the scar had come from, the redhead going silent whenever asked about it.

"It was Matt," Tai said. "Matt found Izzy and he kicked the crap out of Eiri before the bastard could do anything." He clenched his fist tightly, the cane cracking under his grip. "That sonuvabitch, what the hell does he want with Kaya?!"

Izzy shook his head. "He should be in prison, though!" He looked to Ken desperately. "Did he escape? How did he get to our neighborhood?"

"I'm not sure," Ken replied. The door opened and Jaciru flew out of the room into her parents' grasp. She was crying, apologizing over and over for losing Nakayama.

"It's ok, Jaci," Izzy was saying, his own tears falling. "You did what you could to help Kaya."

Natalie stepped out and Ken waved her over. "Check out an Eiri Gintama. He's supposed to be in prison right now..."

The woman nodded and the family was led to the detective's desk, both fathers clinging desperately to their daughter. A few quick taps later, and she spoke with a grim face. "Eiri Gintama, plead guilty to attempted murder. Sentence of twenty years. He was released last night."

"Last night?!" Tai yelped. "Why the hell weren't we notified – we've always been before!"

"It wasn't for parole," Natalie growled bitterly. "His sentence was up – no need to inform the victims of _that_."

"Why would he come after us that quickly?" Izzy asked, desperation clear on his face. "How could he know where we lived?"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" a voice sneered. Ken looked up, a dark look twisting his face. Gabriel was strolling up with a hideous smile on her lips. "Could this be our missing witness?"

"What do you want, Gabriel?" Ken growled. The prosecutor continued to smile at him, hardly sparing a glance to the family.

"I want you to do your _job_ , Detective." She flapped her wrist at Izzy, the redhead pulling Jaciru into a tight hug. "I'm sure you've been informed that Mr. Izumi is in contempt, correct?"

"Only until he returns to court to testify," Natalie defended. "As soon as we're done here, he can go."

"Not so fast," Gabriel sang, sweetness dripping from her words. "Judge Catherine called an end to our day. It seems we won't be picking up until Monday."

"So then Izzy can go to court _Monday_ ," Tai growled. How had Matt been able to stand this woman?

"I'm afraid it's not that simple, and Detective Ichijouji knows it, doesn't he?" The blue haired Child was glowering, hating what Gabriel was implying.

"What is she talking about?" Tai demanded.

"Do your _job_ , Detective," Gabriel sang. "Arrest Mr. Izumi and bring him to jail for the weekend."

"Arrest?! Ken, you can't!" Tai begged.

"Unfortunately, she's right..." Ken couldn't meet Izzy's eye. "Mr. Izumi, please turn around..."

"Mama?" Jaciru asked. "Mama, what's going on?"

"It's ok, Jaci," Izzy tried to comfort. He didn't blame Ken, but he felt the unfamiliar rush of rage as Gabriel beamed. There was the crack of metal and the handcuffs pinched his wrists as Ken was required to do his duty. "I'll be home Monday. Take care of your Papa for me." He looked to Tai as Natalie reluctantly read the man his rights. "Tai, _please_ , don't let this become worse than it is – take care of Jaciru. Nakayama... Nakayama will be fine, won't he, Ken?"

"We won't rest until we find him," the man promised, pointedly ignoring Gabriel. "I swear."


	15. Chapter 15

_So break yourself against my stones_

 _And spit your pity in my soul_

* * *

Matt was beginning to wonder if he would ever see the light again—not the kind that blinded him in the morning and left him at night, but just some shred of happiness. Jail wasn't as awful as television, and many of his father's relatives, lead him to believe. No, as long as he laid low, he would be fine. He spent most of his time reading, in fact. He brushed up on his astronomy and disappointed himself in how much he had forgotten.

If anyone knew why he was there, he would probably be killed, even for a small, community jail. One guard in particular gave him a hell of time and threatened his " _gaijin,_ pretty boy face" that if he caused trouble, he would be dead by morning.

Lucky for Matt, sleep never came easily.

Between all this and the stress of the trial, he wasn't sure if he was going insane or not. He was beginning to believe the prosecution, which meant they had a damn good case if even _he_ was wondering about idle hands.

One night, amidst more not sleeping and trying to read by moonlight, he heard someone being brought in. Ever aware and curious, he inched closer to the bars. Was that voice familiar?

Suddenly the guard was at his cell, thrusting it open. A redhead fell inside with an _oof_ and Yamato heard the familiar clank of glasses bouncing off the floor. He reached around in the dark and found them as the door slammed shut.

"Here," he said. "You dropped these."

The figure climbed to his feet and thanked him. By name.

"I-Izzy?" Matt blurted. "What in fuck's sake are you doing here? Don't tell me - Tai believes Sora, too, and you're in the same boat as me."

"U-um," Izzy stammered. "That is not the case. I'm merely here for the weekend, it seems. I've been arrested for contempt of court for not showing up this morning. I can't believe how long it takes one to be processed..."

"Still, good to see a friendly face," Matt replied. He remembered, suddenly, that horrific morning that he was slowly blocking out. He took a seat on the bed he never used, having slept on the floor under the cot each night. "So, what is going on?"

Izzy wasn't one to like all the attention on himself, so he turned to Matt. After all, he had been meaning to get his own feelings on all this off his chest and perhaps the stress of Tai and Eiri and Nakayama sent him over. "I should be asking _you_ the same thing."

"Eh?"

"Matt, we've always been friends, haven't we?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess so-"

"Then, when things got so bad, why didn't you tell us?"

"Damn it, Izzy," Matt snapped. "You better than anyone should understand what it's like to fucking say what's going on, much less when it's something like this."

"...yes, I suppose you have a point," he admitted.

* * *

Another morning, another puzzle.

Joe sighed, a deep, weary noise. He couldn't even walk in a straight line in his own apartment anymore as Aiko had run out of surfaces to begin puzzles on, using the floor as his new work space. The boy was currently in the hallway in front of the guest bedroom, piecing together half of a pod of dolphins.

"Aiko, you need to put these up," Joe demanded. He crossed his arms and looked down sternly.

"No," came the expected answer. Another piece was fit into place and another was set aside. "Not until Yamapapa comes home."

"Please," the man pleaded. "This isn't helping."

Aiko wouldn't even look up at him, continuing to work silently. The puzzles were no longer fun, no longer a distraction. Now, they were a count down.

Joe pinched the bridge of his nose. He'd never known Aiko to have such a stubborn streak, and it only got worse every day. The boy had been on the verge of unbearable yesterday when they came back from court. Without Izzy there to attempt to reign him in, Aiko was losing all sense of himself. The boy was closing in, becoming no more important than a coffee table or a stool. At least, until he lashed out. The one time Joe had tried to put away a puzzle, Aiko had screamed until his voice was hoarse and the neighbors called the landlord.

"Aiko, we can't move in here," Joe tried to reason. "You can't put them on the floor."

"I ran out of space on the table," Aiko retorted. He pushed his glasses up his nose and reached into the box. It was empty, half the pieces in a pile next to it. He sat back on his heels and looked at his work. The edge was complete, as well as the sea bed and a baby dolphin. If Matt had been there, the mother and rest of the pod would be in place, but until he returned, only a lonely child would remain.

The boy stood, ignoring his father's gaze as he tried to push past the man. "Excuse me, Dad, I need to go."

"Go where?" Joe demanded. He crossed his arms and stepped to one side as Aiko tied to go around him. The hall was tiny, and for that Joe was grateful.

"I need to get the kitten puzzle off the shelf," Aiko replied simply. "Then after that, I have the balloons and then the cakes." Aiko tried to think if there were any after that. He would have to go buy a new puzzle soon, he was sure.

"Only when you put that one away," Joe told his son. "It's in the way – they _all_ are."

But Aiko shook his head. "I'm not going to. Not until Yama-"

"Matt's _not_ coming home!" Joe snapped. The boy looked up at his father, having never heard the man yell at him before. "You can't just... _wish_ for something like that to happen! Aiko – he's in _jail_! I don't..." Joe cursed. "I don't think he's _ever_ going to come home..."

"You can't say that!" Aiko cried. "You _can't_ say that! Yamapapa is coming home! And when he comes home, we'll be happy and together and -"

Joe wasn't sure what happened. For a moment, he was blinded by his own rage and loneliness. And when he blinked back to reality, Aiko was on the floor, glasses across the hallway. He was holding his cheek and crying and Joe had his hand raised to hit his son again.

"A-Aiko..." Joe breathed. Slowly, he brought his hand down and looked at it. His palm was red, his fingers tingling. He was shaking, and he could hear his father's voice in his head, inarticulate yelling echoing over and over. All over his body, he could feel the bruises, the breaks. Even his fake teeth hurt with phantom pains. He tried to reach for his son. "Aiko, I..."

But the boy sobbed in terror, scrambling to his room and slamming the door behind him.

Joe opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything. He just looked to the puzzle, half-finished on the floor, and felt the tears roll down his cheeks.

* * *

 _Thump, thump, thump._

Ken sighed as he looked over the witness statements he and Natalie had taken. Noone saw anything, didn't even know there was a van in their neighborhood. They knew about Jaciru and Nakayama, complaining about the girl's excitement and praising the boy's gentleness, and they all extended their sympathies. But none of them had even heard Nakayama scream.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

He leaned back in his chair and massaged his temples. Natalie was off, trying to track down any of Eiri's contacts in prison, but from what she was texting, there weren't any. Even the man's father had cut off all ties, never once visiting his son in all the years he was incarcerated.

 _Thump, thump, thump._

Ken groaned and looked at the brunette that was sitting across from him. The fluffy haired man was thumping his cane, bobbing his head, looking like he was just hanging out with a friend instead of waiting for the worst news about his child.

"Tai, you need to go home. Be with your family."

"I can't," Tai said bitterly. "My son's missing, my husband's in jail, my daughter's with my mom. I have no reason to be home, all alone." He bounced his cane on the floor. "You know, I haven't been away from my family since my accident. I spend time in the hospital, sure, and I've been out overnight for surgeries, but Iz's always been there. The kids were always there. I don't..." Tai bit his tongue as his voice cracked. "I don't have anything right now. What about you? Anything yet?"

"The same as this morning, when you came in," Ken replied. He hated the ache in his chest. He hated the downcast look in Tai's eyes. He had never seen Tai so depressed, so withdrawn. "Tai, you _need_ to go home. If not to yours, than your mother's or your sister's."

"TK's getting a little better, but I don't think he wants a _fag_ in his living room," Tai snorted. "And Mom can't stop crying..." He sighed. "Kaya was her way of getting my childhood back. Without him, she's lost again."

"Tai..." Ken sighed. "Just stay out of trouble."

* * *

Monday morning was slow to roll around. Joe stood outside Aiko's door, winding his way though the puzzles on the floor. He'd spent the whole weekend avoiding his child, but he couldn't keep this up. The little chain latch had been locked, and Joe knocked hesitantly. "Aiko...?"

"Go away!" the boy screamed.

"Aiko, please, I... I need to talk to you." Joe pressed his forehead against the door. How many nights had he spent in his room, terrified of his own father's presence. Was Aiko terrified of what Joe would do? Did the boy fear for his life? The darkness swirled in Joe's mind and he spoke to the wood. "Aiko, I want to apologize..."

There was a moment's hesitation. Then the tiny rattle of metal, and Joe stepped back as Aiko opened his door. There was a bruise on the child's cheek, and Joe felt his heart sink. He wanted to reach out, but the boy flinched and Joe hung his head. He slowly got down to his knees so he could try and get on Aiko's level, try and make himself less terrifying than the shadow that danced in his own past.

"Aiko, what I did..." Joe swallowed hard. There was a fear in Aiko's eyes, something that hadn't been there in a long time. He very gently took Aiko's hand in both of his. "When I was your age, younger actually, my own father hit me. He hurt me for years and the only reason he stopped was because he went to jail." He licked his dry lips, wondering if this was the right thing to do. Wondering if it would be better for Aiko to be taken from him. Better for the boy to have never come to him in the first place. "What I did is inexcusable. I can tell you I'm sorry all day and all night, but I know I will _never_ deserve your forgiveness. All I can do is promise that I will _never_ hurt you again. I will _never_ raise my hand in anger to you again."

Aiko's face hurt. He'd never been scared of the tall man before in his life. Joe had always been a safe haven, someone to protect him. Even Tomaru had never harmed him, his wonderful father taking all the pain that would have been inflicted upon him.

But when Joe had hit him... They'd spent the past week being assaulted with all of Matt's baggage. The loving blonde who had never been anything but a wonderful father, who had never let on that he was in pain (aside the obvious suicide attempt that had brought him to their home), he had always been Joe's strength. Aiko had never seen his father happier, never seen him so relaxed. And it was then that the boy realized just how much his father needed someone to lean on.

Aiko reached out, very gently placing a hand on his father's cheek. There was a weariness in the man's eyes, hidden behind a crumbling strength. "I'm sorry, Dad... I shouldn't have been a brat..."

Joe hugged Aiko, squeezing him tightly. "No," he breathed. "No, there's _no_ excuse for what I did. Don't ever apologize to _me_ for being hit."

"Can... Can we go to Yamapapa's trial, now?" Aiko asked softly. He felt Joe nod, tears dripping on his shoulders.

* * *

Gabriel was on her phone before Judge Catherine's appearance, whispering lowly into it. Her lips barely moved, so Cody couldn't read them. Matt was sitting next to him, for once looking even _slightly_ happy. He wasn't tense and the shaking in his hands wasn't rattling the desk. Spending the weekend with a friend, even if it was in jail, looked like it was the best thing for his client. The rest of the Children, however...

Joe was sitting with Aiko, a bruise on the child's cheek. Though they were finally close again, there was a definite distance between them. Tai wasn't there, but there was still time before the judge's appearance. It was possible whatever Ken had told him had wiped him for the weekend. TK and Kari were still hiding in the back of the courtroom, and Yolie kept up her watchdog act next to Sora and Yutaka. Mimi and Russell were with Davis and Daimu, the two boys quietly discussing something while their parents waited and worried.

Matt looked around the room, smiling lightly at Aiko as he wondered about the bruise. Maybe the boy had fallen? Mimi smiled at him, a silent apology in her eyes that had been there ever since her testimony, but he wasn't mad at her. She did the best she could under that bitch Gabriel's questioning. Even TK didn't look away when he realized his brother was looking at him. Not at first, anyway, and that was comforting. He'd sat through Malcolm's testimony without leaving, and Matt was certain, any day now, TK would come by. Tell him he finally believed his brother.

Judge Catherine entered, taking a seat at the bench. "Alright, Mr. Hida, let's try this again. Call your witness."

Matt watched as Izzy emerged from the side room. Listened as the man was sworn in. Wondered, where exactly his husband was.

Izzy looked out into the sea of friends and strangers, fighting the urge to run away, to hide back in the tiny room he'd been waiting in. He reached up to make sure his collar was buttoned, hiding away the scar on his throat, blushing when he caught his hand shaking. There was nothing for him to be scared of – _he_ wasn't on trial. He was here for his friend who _was._

And as the defense attorney approached, a hardened look in his eyes, Izzy was reminded of some of the things Matt had said as they sat in their cell together. How he felt like everyone was turning on him, even Cody. Izzy could see that now as he stared the lawyer in the eyes.

"Izumi, Koushiro... please explain how you know my client."

There was a flurry of movement, the door flying open. Judge Catherine scowled at Tai as he limped up to the front of the court, apologizing quietly and shoving himself next to Joe. Matt glared and the brunette gave him a lopsided grin before jabbing him in the neck with his cane.

Izzy licked his lips, beginning with the not-quite lie Sora had given them all. "I met Yamato at summer camp, like most of us. I also tutored him in high school."

"How did my client act toward you? Hostile?" Cody's voice was cold, as harsh as it had ever been when he was a child.

"Never," Izzy confirmed. "In fact, his primary concern seemed to always be everyone besides himself."

"Mr. Ishida isn't perfect and you were around him when he made those mistakes. Did he change then?"

"No. Actually, I was going through some issues myself and he helped me through them. When I was attacked by another classmate, I hadn't regained my composure before Yamato tackled him."

"Explain this incident that shows my client _only_ acting violent in the defense of others."

Matt held back an aggravated sigh. Cody hadn't strictly called him by such formal titles, much less 'client', until recently. He had to admit, he wanted to strangle the little bastard. _And everyone here wonders why I don't fucking tell anyone anything._

"In 2005," Izzy explained to the silence of the courtroom, "when I was fifteen, I was attending a semi-finals soccer match between Tatsumi High and Kintama High."

"What was the reason you were there? Did you attend Tatsumi High?" Cody hated asking the obvious questions, but the jury needed to hear the answers.

"No. I was there to support my boyfriend, Taichi. Along with me, Yamato had -"

 _Ba-da-ding! Ba-da-ding!_

Izzy jumped and the whole courtroom turned their eyes to the person whose cell phone began ringing at max volume.

Gabriel's face was dark, her eyes wide with embarrassment. She dove into her purse, silencing the phone with a click. "M-my apologies, your honor," the lawyer stammered. Cody couldn't hide the delight in his eyes as she scrambled for the first time in her career. "I... I thought I had my phone on silent..." She looked at the name on her screen and sneered.

"Be sure that you turn it _off_ , Mrs. Dolphinus," Judge Catherine warned and Gabriel nodded. She fiddled with the phone for a moment and laid it on her table. "Continue, Mr. Izumi."

"Uh, ah," Izzy tried to remember where he had been, the dread still filling the pit of his stomach. "Yamato had been invited to watch the game as well."

"And why was Mr. Ishida there?"

"I was unaware at the time, but Taichi had been being..." Izzy took a shuddering breath, grabbing the railing of his stand. His knuckles were white and he swallowed hard, trying not to vomit. Cody stepped forward, and Izzy shook his head. "T-Taichi was being bullied by another student..."

"And..." Cody wondered if he should go on. He'd never seen Izzy so shaken before. "What was the student's name?"

 _Eiri Gintama._

The same bastard who stole his child! Izzy wished he had died in prison! Slowly and painfully and –

There was a dull buzzing from the prosecution and Gabriel snatched her phone, more with anger than embarrassment, and snarled as she texted quickly.

"Mr. Izumi?" Judge Catherine called, glaring at the black haired woman who shoved her phone under her purse as though she'd done nothing wrong, and Izzy jumped. "Please answer the question."

"E-Eiri..." Izzy heard his voice crack and he shook his head. Falling apart here would only hurt Matt. It wouldn't do anything to help Nakayama. "Eiri Gintama."

"Perhaps... we should call a short recess?" Cody ventured. Did Izzy's sudden discomfort have something to do with why he hadn't shown up to court on Friday?

"No!" Izzy insisted. "No, I..." Izzy could feel Tai's eyes on him and he shook his head, just barely. "Taichi was being bullied by E-Eiri and there had been a threat made against my life. Taichi invited Yamato along to act as a sort of bodyguard for me. The soccer game progressed without incident, and it was near the end that I suffered a panic attack. I left the stands and, while I was alone, I was attacked."

"Attacked how?"

"I was knocked unconscious. When I came to, Eiri was going to..." Izzy clenched his teeth, fighting the urge to vomit. His hand was at his scar again and he whispered, "Eiri was going to slit my throat."

He could still feel the terror blacking out every thought. Feel the bindings on his hands, taste the disgusting rag shoved in his mouth. Eiri's weight was on his chest, the scissors glinting in the flickering light. There was fire on his throat as the blades descended, blood flowing onto his chest. Every frantic beat of his heart was another spurt to stain his shirt he'd thrown away the moment he could.

"Mr. Izumi!"

Izzy jumped at the bang of the gavel. If Tai wasn't being restrained by Joe, the brunette would have leapt the bar to reach his husband. Cody was right next to him, and only then did Izzy realize he'd fallen to his knees, hyperventilating and crying silently.

"Your honor," Gabriel called lazily, poking at her phone that was once again glowing. "If the witness cannot control himself, I feel it is only appropriate that he be dismissed."

"And I feel that if the prosecution cannot control her sudden _texting addiction_ , that she be dismissed," the judge warned and Gabriel ran her tongue over her teeth, frowning.

"Izzy?" Cody whispered. "Izzy, are you ok? Do you need to stop?"

"No," Izzy breathed. "I can't. I'm here for Matt."

"Is this about... Friday?" Cody tried, helping Izzy back into his seat. Even Judge Catherine was looking concerned.

Izzy bit his lip. If he told Cody, that would only cause more distraction, take away the focus from what was important right now. Besides, until Ken came to them with anything, there was nothing worrying could do. "I'll be fine. Just let me finish." He took a deep breath and met Tai's eyes. His husband was crying out soundlessly, trying to fight through his own pain to help his lover.

"Eiri was going to kill me," Izzy said as loud as his trembling voice would allow. "He stabbed me in the neck – it's where my scar came from – but before he could reach my throat, Yamato tackled him. There was a scuffle between them. Yamato was able to subdue Eiri until the police showed up to arrest him."

"So Yamato only assaulted Eiri in order to save your life?" Cody pressed. He wasn't sure how the jury would take Izzy's near-fainting, but they needed to know what Matt had done.

"If Yamato had not been there," Izzy said slowly, carefully. "I would be dead."

Cody nodded. If nothing else, Izzy's confidence in his friend would be enough to offset Gabriel's mud slinging. He sat and the prosecutor stood, pocketing her phone with all the grace of a con artist.

"You said Yamato was basically your bodyguard," Gabriel began, leaning on the podium. Too close for Izzy's comfort. "Then why did he leave you alone?"

Izzy frowned. "It was only for a moment and we felt the issue had resolved itself for the time being. As well, _I_ was the one who left _him._ "

"So, you were put in the hospital... by this Eiri person, not Yamato who was with you the entire time..." A smile curved Gabriel's lips despite the buzzing coming from her pocket. "Did the defendant visit you?"

"No..."

"Why?" She sounded surprised, but her eyes were glittering with dark knowledge. "He's your friend, isn't he?"

"Well, yes-" Izzy began, but the lawyer scoffed, cutting him off.

"Some friend..." Gabriel started, glancing at the phone in her pocket that was _still_ going crazy. "Your Honor, I must request a recess."

"And I must insist that whatever emergency you have resolve itself in some way or another," Judge Catherine said with a look that made even Gabriel shrink back. "As the witness has fulfilled his duties to the court by testifying, I hereby drop the charge of contempt. Mr. Izumi, you're free to go. We'll take two hours for lunch," came the quick decision, "and meet back at two."

The gavel hadn't even fallen before Gabriel was on her phone, hissing inarticulately at the person on the other end. Her face was a mask of rage and Izzy was glad she'd never directed that terribly-familiar look his way as he stumbled out of the witness stand. Tai caught him, squeezing him tight, and Matt managed to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder before the bailiff arrived to cuff him.

"C'mon, Iz," Tai whispered softly. "Maybe Ken has something to tell us by now."


	16. Chapter 16

_You never needed any help_

 _You sold me out to save yourself_

* * *

"We've been trying to track down anyone Gintama might have had contact with while in prison," Natalie said. The couple at her desk were shaking, each trying to draw comfort from the other who had none to give. "But he seems to have been completely secluded. No visitors, no phone calls – nothing at all until last year."

"What happened last year?" Tai asked, hand going numb as he held Izzy's tightly.

"He started calling and receiving calls from a small law firm. Chevan and Rockwell. We've been unable to contact the firm itself, however."

"Why would he by talking to a lawyer after so long?" Izzy asked. "So late in his sentence, there would have been no parole hearings left."

"That's why we're trying to contact the firm." Natalie shook her head. "In a case like this, especially one that involves children, don't try to make sense of it all. You'll drive yourselves crazy asking 'why'. We just need to focus on getting Nakayama back." The detective looked at the time on her monitor and bit her tongue as she thought. "Ken and I still need to visit the firm, see if there's anyone that can answer a few questions. Why don't you two get back to Mr. Ishida's trial? Until there's something concrete, being here will only be a waste of time."

"You'll let us know, won't you?" Tai asked. He hated feeling helpless. Hated that his son was missing and there was nothing he could do. He missed Agumon terribly, knowing that if his partner was with him... What? That Nakayama wouldn't have been taken? Or that Eiri would have never bullied him in the first place? Or even that he would find Eiri and ride Greymon into battle to kick the ever loving shit out of him?

"Of course." Natalie smiled as gently as she could. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Ken walk into the station. His face was set in a cold mask, preparing himself to hear and deliver the worst news, and she shivered internally. There was something about the expression that always chilled her to the bone. "Now go on, you two."

Izzy stood, helping Tai stand. Even with his cane, the brunette was finding it harder and harder to keep his balance. They passed by Ken, and the younger Child was unable to meet their eye. Izzy's hand was shaking in Tai's as they found their way to the parking lot. Kae was standing by the car, holding Jaciru by the shoulders. The young girl was still fuming, still raging at the man who had grabbed her and taken her brother. The anger coursing through her was enough to hide the terror, a fear that without Nakayama her family would fall apart as it almost had so many times before. Her fathers clung to her, pulling their daughter close.

"Let's go," Tai whispered. He looked to his mother-in-law with a grateful smile. Kae had always been a wonderful, sweet woman. There for him in the worst times of his life with a kind word and an outstretched hand. It was obvious where Izzy had gotten his kind demeanor, that softness that Tai loved so. Where Nakayama had inherited his own gentleness from.

Tai swallowed hard, the thought springing unwarranted to his mind, _If Kaya's still around to be gentle..._

"Are you going to go with Grandma?" Izzy asked his daughter, and Jaciru shook her head, ponytail whipping violently from side to side.

"No. I wanna be with you, Mama. Papa, too." Jaciru stamped her foot and pouted, daring her parents to tell her no.

But Izzy just hugged her tight and ushered her into the car. They would take Kae home and return to the courthouse, to support Matt together as what remained of their family.

* * *

Joe bit at his lip, stomach rolling with nerves. He nibbled and he chewed and winced as he ripped the sensitive skin open. It hurt, now, and bled just a little. Joe sighed and whirled around, finding the bench behind him. He sat down heavily, closing his eyes and pressing his thumbs to his temple. He wished Aiko was next to him, but Mimi had already whisked the boy into the courtroom.

Aiko wasn't prepping himself to be a witness. Aiko couldn't feel the stress eating him alive as he went over every word he would have to speak.

It was all up to Joe. If he said the wrong thing, answered a question the wrong way - hell, even if he let his facial expression slip! - Matt could go to jail. Matt would be taken from him and put away for however long Gabriel would squeeze the judge for.

He ignored the tiny voice in his head that told him he wasn't the only witness. Just the same way he ignored the pain in his lip.

"Well, well, look what we have here," a voice sneered. Joe looked up, scowling at Yutaka as he approached. The man had reapplied all his piercings, making his face shine in the courthouse lights. He'd abandoned his suit for a pair of jeans and a ratty black dress shirt. The only thing about him that Joe appreciated was that Sora wasn't hanging off the man's arm, as though she had been married to _him_ instead of Matt. "What are you going to say, hm? That Yamato's a _good man_? That he'd never get drunk and assault his wife?" Yutaka snorted. "How many lies are you going to tell to help that disgusting bastard?"

"You don't know anything about Matt," Joe snapped. "You gave up on him years ago!"

"I saw him for who he was." Yutaka growled. "He's nothing more than a selfish little bitch who can't get over something from when he was a damn baby. He's a whore who drinks himself into oblivion because he doesn't want to face the piece of shit he really is!"

"He's a _rape victim_ ," Joe pressed. How had Matt ever dealt with this guy when he was a teen?

"He's a _guy_. Guys can't get raped, especially not by chicks. Don't you know anything, _doctor_?" Yutaka rolled his eyes as Joe fumed. "How can you even defend him? Don't you know the things he's done to his kids?"

"The things _Sora_ said he's done," Joe insisted. "And you're more than happy to believe anything anyone says as long as it puts Matt down, huh?"

"I'll believe the _truth_ about him. The truth that _you_ can't seem to accept." Yutaka turned away with a disgusted sneer. "You've got a kid, don't you?" Joe glared and Yutaka pressed, "How many times have you left them alone together? How much has that brat _changed_ since you brought him into your house?"

Joe opened his mouth. He meant to yell at Yutaka – no, to _scream_ at the redhead – that Aiko was fine. That he was the same sweet little boy he'd always been. That he hadn't changed at all since he'd brought Matt home. Except...

Except he had.

How many times had Joe been surprised in the past few months at Aiko's attitude? How many times had Aiko shocked him with a show of defiance Joe never thought he'd see in him? How many times had Aiko been the one to instigate a fight instead of resolve it?

Joe heard Yutaka walk away with a disgusted scoff. The doctor fell back against the bench, looking to his lap. There was no way what Yutaka said was true – absolutely no way! Matt hadn't touched his daughter and he especially hadn't touched Aiko! Joe couldn't... he couldn't let there be any doubts about that! Aiko was twelve, on the verge of being a teenager. He was allowed to be moody, and awkward, and, and...

Joe grabbed his hair and pulled it, trying to distract himself from his horrible thoughts. He was here to _defend_ Matt, to tell all his friends and family, reporters and jurors that Matt was a good, decent human being. That he wouldn't let his trauma shape him into anything but a wonderful person who loved with all his heart.

There was a commotion at the end of the hall, and Joe looked up, wondering if Yutaka had come back to degrade Matt some more.

But it was only Tai and Izzy, very slowly making their way to the courtroom. Jaciru was between them, a dark and sullen expression twisting her bruised and battered face. There was no joy in the family, no lightness to any of their steps. Joe wondered what had happened to them. Wondered where Nakayama was.

Joe wanted nothing more than to go to them, to find his friends and try and alleviate any of their pain in lieu of his own. He wanted this to all be over and done with, to go home and try and fix his family as best he could.

But the bailiff appeared, and called him into the small room. Told him to wait until he was called.

Joe took a deep breath to calm to calm his rolling stomach and did as he was told.

* * *

"Dr. Kido, how do you know Yamato Ishida?"

Every eye was on him. Joe swallowed hard, but he was still far too frazzled. Vaguely, he wondered if he was still held to the same standards of truth as everyone else. After all, could a Witch be trusted to swear on the Bible? The weight of his pentacle was comforting and he focused on that as he glanced to his boyfriend.

Matt looked anxious and he had every right to be. His hands were shaking, almost rattling the desk he was at. He probably needed a cigarette, too, and that thought made Joe smile to himself as he suddenly remembered the question, "I met Matt, uh, Yamato at summer camp. Like Koushiro Izumi, I helped tutor him in high school... and now we're dating."

"You're romantically involved?" Cody asked

"Of course." Did that matter? If Matt was in a serious relationship with a grown man, did that mean he didn't want a little girl?

Cody nodded, and Joe was glad his answers had, so far, been correct. "Describe Yamato at summer camp."

Joe blushed, remembering when he'd first set eyes on the blonde. Knew he was in love before they even shared a single word. "Quiet, sarcastic; general cool-guy stuff, but he was very protective of everyone, especially Takeru."

"How is he now?"

Joe glanced to Matt with trembling hands. _Amazing. Beautiful. Suffering. Other things that don't make sense to anyone._

"He's still protective, even of Takeru—even though they haven't spoken to each other in more years than I can remember." Joe could see TK in the far back. He was sitting with Kari, but his face was blank, unreadable. Did he care that Matt was on trial? Would he believe Joe, as disgustingly gay as he was? Or had his religion warped him past all rational thought? "He's calmed down a lot since we were kids, but he still has a stubborn streak and is willing to kill himself to prove his point."

Matt made a face at him and Joe felt a shaky smile try to take form. Maybe this wouldn't be as terrible as he thought it would be.

"Have you ever had reason to be afraid of him?"

Joe thought for just a moment. Sure, he had been scared a few times, but never _for his life_ , the way Cody intended. Matt had proven easily he'd rather take his own life before someone else's. That was how damn little the blond mattered to himself. "Never."

"Uncomfortable, in any way?"

"No." _Definitely not. If anything, he's the only way I feel like me again. Why my mind constantly drifted back to him, even after bedding so many, or even having a child of my own. I always imagined him there next to me._

"You've seen Yamato with his children, Dr. Kido?"

Joe shook his head. He couldn't let himself get lost in those dreamy blue eyes that he missed so badly. "Uh, yes."

"Did he act strange around them?"

"No." He remembered how easily Hanako had taken his hand. How warmly Tsukuyomi had smiled at him. Then the way they seemed to deflate when they spoke of their family. "They were scared of their mother, though."

"Did they say anything to you?"

"That their father needed more friends, and that they had seen Sora hit him."

Cody was silent and quickly returned to his seat, still keeping his distance from Matt. Joe wondered if he had said all the right things, answered all the questions the way they had gone over, and felt his heart race. As Gabriel stood, he realized _this_ would be the hard part. The things they couldn't rehearse, the things she wasn't _allowed_ to bring up, but probably would.

Lost in thought, Gabriel was repeating herself, "Mr. Kido? Answer the question."

"I'm sorry, could you repeat it again?" Joe blushed as he heard someone snicker, saw a juror roll their eyes. Great, he was already screwing up.

Gabriel gave a huff, "Has the defendant ever hurt you?"

"No." Aside years of heartache, but that was beside the point. They had _both_ suffered during that time.

"But weren't you always in and out of the hospital?"

"That was my father's fault." Joe was glad that Shou was gone. In jail or dead by now, Joe didn't care. As long as that man stayed far away from him.

"He broke your arm, right?"

"My father got carried away." Joe frowned. "What does this have to do with Yamat-"

"Why?" Gabriel pressed. She leaned in far too close, smiled far too broadly. "What drove your father to break his own son's arm?"

Joe pursed his lips. He already didn't like where she was going with all this. "...Yamato. But he was just trying to def-"

"After that, you two didn't stay on speaking terms?" Would she let him finish one sentence?

"Not for some time, no," Joe admitted.

"Have you met Hanako Ishida and Tsukuyomi Ishida?"

"Yes, once."

"So, you wouldn't know if your one account of their marriage was indicative of their entire relationship?"

There was the sudden echo of a muffled curse. Joe looked up and even Matt twisted in his chair. For some reason Tai had leapt to all three of his feet. He was apologizing quietly, shoving past Mimi and Aiko who had taken over Joe's usual perch. Izzy looked like he wanted to get up and follow, but Tai quickly pushed him back down to the bench. It was all so unusual and even Matt reached out to try and stop Tai. There was a hushed whisper between them and Matt turned away, glaring at his desk as Tai quickly hobbled out of the courtroom.

Gabriel's lips twisted, a terrible light filling her eyes. "Mr. Kido, answer the question."

"I..." Where had Tai gone? Why hadn't he waited until after court? Why hadn't he taken Izzy with him? "I can't say for certain."

"Have you ever seen Sora and the defendant fighting?" The prosecutor didn't even seem to realize what had just happened, even as Judge Catherine called for order.

"N-no." He preferred to not see them together, period. Even when the two had originally dated, he hadn't wanted to be around for it.

"Does Yamato discuss his marriage with you?"

"Not really. He doesn't like to talk about it." He'd rather get drunk and smoke a pack than say Sora's name to him.

Cody quickly stood for a few redirect questions and Joe was glad to be rid of Gabriel's ugly mug for five seconds. Once more he could hide in the relative safety of prepared questions and answers. He watched her pull her phone from her purse, playing with it whenever Judge Catherine wasn't looking, and her elated expression slowly darkened with every text.

"Yamato has met your son, Aiko, correct?"

"Yes," Joe tried not to glare at Sora, but he was pretty sure he was failing. "When Yamato lived with us."

"How do the two interact?"

"They like puzzles." Those damn puzzles. Those bits and pieces of cardboard that were still strewn throughout the apartment. "They watch TV. He's like a father to him."

"Does it ever make you uncomfortable?"

"Of course not. I know who Yamato is." Joe smiled at Matt who gave a twisted grimace back at him. That was as close to a smile the man could make, Joe was sure.

"...because you've been dating. How is your relationship with him?"

"I don't have any problems with him." _Except his stubbornness,_ Joe added mentally.

Suddenly Gabriel was in his face again. She seemed so much more frustrated than before, and he blinked at her as she looked over him like an angry bull. "You don't fight _at all_?"

"Squabbles, sure, but nothing violent and _never_ in front of Aiko. We agreed on that."

"...So you don't even fight over the fact that you're a murderer?"

A gasp wafted from the jury and Joe clenched his fists. She wasn't allowed to ask about that, Cody had told him, and he clung to that promise. She wasn't allowed to tell anyone that he had spilled a man's insides in his apartment. She wasn't allowed to bring up that he could still smell the gore, still feel the blood on his hands...

"Objection!" Cody practically screamed, leaping to his feet. At his side, Matt wondered what the big deal was. Didn't doctors lose patients all the time? Was it really considered murder in a case like that? "Your Honor, Dr. Kido was never officially charged, much less _convicted_ in the death of Tomaru Itsuwari."

Matt frowned. That name sounded awful familiar to him, but he just couldn't place it. The closest he could come was the sound of Tsukuyomi crying, a baby getting a round of vaccinations.

But Gabriel continued to smile as Judge Catherine agreed with Cody. A sign that whatever had happened with this Tomaru-person wasn't good at all.

"So," Gabriel continued, with a slow, easy grace. Whatever was coming wouldn't be good and Joe felt panic rise up in him. "Yamato is a good 'father' to Aiko?"

"Yeah." Joe's voice cracked and he coughed into a trembling hand. "H-he would never hurt Aiko."

"Just like he never hurt Takeru?" Gabriel wondered innocently.

"He promised he wouldn't!" Joe blurted. He hadn't realized what he said until Matt's cold stare was burning into him.

"Promised you?" All too suddenly, Gabriel was on the verge of giggling and Joe wanted to just sink into his chair and die. He had messed up, _big time_. Even Cody was giving him an odd look. "When did _that_ happen?"

"...Summer camp." That wonderful night they first made love in the Digital World. The smell of grease and dishwater overpowering even their own scents, the elation of finally coming together. Even now, that boiler room was as close to Heaven as he had ever come and he would never forget it.

"What were the details of this 'promise'?"

Joe swallowed and stared at his hands. How the hell was he going to explain this? His eyes flickered up, not looking to his lover, but to the other blonde who was trying desperately not to look too interested. "He was afraid of being alone..." His voice was almost a whisper now. He didn't want anyone to hear these words. "With Takeru..."

Gabriel tossed her hair towards Matt before turning back to Joe. Whatever had happened on her phone was now long forgotten with this promise that Joe had blurted. "So you let a self-proclaimed pedophile live with your prepubescent son? How can we trust your word when you've clearly no judge of character?"

" _Your Honor_ ," Cody growled in objection.

Matt broke his glare for a moment to turn to Cody. He was running a hand over his forehead, clearly exasperated. But Judge Catherine was looking at Joe, one eyebrow quirked. "I would like to know as well, Dr. Kido. Why would you let someone who admitted such things stay in your home?"

Joe looked to his lap. How badly had he screwed up Matt's chances of ever coming home with him again? Would he even _want_ to come back to such a blabbermouth? Well, one more secret conversation wouldn't hurt any more, now would it? "Yamato told me that he was... scared of becoming his mother. I knew Yamato better than that. I reassured him, told him that was impossible because he knows what that kind of pain is." He looked up and shyly met Matt's gaze, silently begging the blonde not to hate him. "He would never inflict it on anyone else."

"What was Yamato's response to your blind words?"

Joe wrinkled his nose, "He promised me he wouldn't hurt Takeru and I figured I would keep an eye on him."

"So, despite his 'promise', you still felt the need to keep tabs on your friend?" Gabriel was smiling, and Joe distantly noticed her phone silently light up at her desk.

"That's not what I meant! Matt wouldn't hurt anyone except himself-!" Joe breathed, finally able to say it aloud.

"One more thing," Gabriel chuckled, uncaring for Joe's words. "You weren't in contact with him, as much of his friends and family weren't, so how would you know if he kept that promise at all, especially the way he and Takeru are estranged? Makes you think, doesn't it?"

Joe sank back into the harsh, wooden chair and occasionally glanced at Matt, who was staring off somewhere, _very_ angrily.

"We have time for one more witness today," Judge Catherine decided as Gabriel sat, shoving her phone into her purse without looking at it. "Mr. Hida? Call your next one."


	17. Chapter 17

_And I won't listen to your shame_

 _You ran away – you're all the same_

* * *

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Tai felt terrible. He really did! He didn't mean to leave Matt behind, to run out of his trial. But when he'd gotten that text from Ken, all thoughts but those of his son had fled. He remembered, vaguely, telling Izzy and Jaciru to stay. He was pretty sure he'd paid for the cab to the police station. And he thought he'd apologized to all the people he'd run over on his way in.

He saw Ken's blue hair and cried out as he hobbled up to him, "Ken, hey! What happened?!"

Natalie looked over at Tai and then quickly glared at Ken. "You already told him?" she hissed.

"It's his son," Ken explained, but Natalie didn't look appeased.

"I just got a text that you had something," Tai rushed. His leg was throbbing, but that was nothing compared to the emptiness in his chest. Once he had Nakayama back, then he could take care of himself. "Did you find Eiri?"

"No, Mr. Izumi," Natalie said gently, shaking her head. Tai deflated, wanting to collapse in Ken's chair. Had there been a mistake then?

"We had someone call in," Ken explained carefully. Natalie was already mad at him for even telling Tai in the first place, but he couldn't help it. Tai was his friend and needed to be kept in the loop. "They saw a van matching Jaciru's description being driven by someone who _could_ have been Eiri."

"Then what are we doing here?" Tai demanded. "Let's go!"

"Mr. Izumi," Natalie pressed. "We aren't even sure that it _is_ Eiri. We have to investigate first – we can't just show up, guns blazing, and arrest some poor bloke in a white van!"

"Then what _are_ we going to do?"

Natalie glared at Ken again before gently taking Tai by the arm. She ignored him as he tried to nudge her away with his cane and instead pushed him toward the door. "Ken and I will investigate this new lead. _You_ will go back to your husband. And wait for us."

"I can't just keep waiting around like this!" Tai looked to Ken, demanding something the detective could not give. "Damnit, I need to get Kaya back!"

"We'll do everything we can, Tai," Ken told his friend. He sighed softly. "I didn't mean to drag you all the way down here, I only meant to keep you informed. Go with Natalie, go back to Matt. You'll do the most good _there."_

Tai grumbled unhappily. He allowed the foreign detective to lead him away, lumbering slowly to her car. As loath as he was to admit it, Ken was right. Matt needed him as much as Kaya did.

* * *

Eliza Halloway felt this entire thing, being sepeona'd to testify, was ludicrous. All she was there for was to drag Matt through the mud, just like Gabriel had tricked Joe into. She stared over at the remains of the precious child she had failed. At a time, she had even contemplated moving to help him, but reflecting, that had been an equally ludicrous urge to protect. It came with the job. But still, something about him in court that day struck her. He was as angry as she had last seen him.

"State your name." Cody said, respect ingrained into his every word.

"Elizabeth Halloway. I have a degree from Tokyo U in child psychology."

"How do you know my client?" Cody asked, waving a hand to Matt. The blond realized he had been slouching and straightened up. He'd always respected the woman who had tried so hard with him.

"I was his therapist for a short time from 1996 to '97." As terrible as the circumstances had been, she was fond of their time together. "I've also had the pleasure of working with his children."

"How was Yamato when you treated him?"

"His mother's trial had just ended in a not-guilty verdict..." Eliza shook her head gently. "To say he was distraught is an understatement. He acted like any child would after something like that: destructive and withdrawn."

"Can you explain a typical session?" Matt was looking at his hands. He didn't want to hear what this woman had thought of him when he was so young, so unable to control himself. Even less than _that_ did he want his friends to know what she had seen in him.

"At first, he hid from me. He was terribly afraid of older women. Once I managed to get his trust, he let me know how he was feeling by destroying my office." Eliza was smiling, but it was a sad smile. All she'd ever wanted to do was help Matt and if having to repaint and recarpet her office once a week was the price to pay, she would have paid it a thousand times over.

"You said you were his therapist for a _short_ time," Cody pressed. "His therapy was incomplete?"

"Regretfully, yes."

"Does every kid who doesn't get therapy act out?"

"Of course not, everyone is different."

"By that assumption," Cody concluded, "does every person molested act out their abuse?"

Sora, in particular, sniffed the air in annoyance as Cody questioned. Hadn't _he_ been the one to tell her that patterns of abuse carried on? And now he was trying to act as though it didn't matter what had happened in Matt's life.

Eliza gave a weak smile, "Thankfully, no."

"Your Honor, Halloway's degree is in child therapy, not rapist rehabilitation," Gabriel pointed out, clicking her nails on her desk. Once more she was texting whenever she could get away with it, silencing phone calls that were coming in faster than ever before.

"You also talked with Hanako and Tsukuyomi Ishida. How did they seem to you?" Matt perked up as Cody mentioned his children by name. He hadn't seen them in so long, and he missed them so badly.

"They have a few minor problems," Eliza admitted, "but they seem well-adjusted for what they've been through."

"Thank you, Dr. Halloway," Cody said.

As the defense attorney sat, the doors opened again. Matt glared over his shoulder at Tai who was being pushed into the courtroom by a blue haired detective. She was whispering harshly at him and Tai was glaring back, but he gave in quickly and took his seat behind Matt.

"Where the hell were you?" Matt hissed and Tai's response was to tap the back of his chair with his cane. Even Izzy couldn't seem to reach the brunette as he glowered.

Gabriel didn't even raise an eyebrow at Tai's entrance, instead demanding of Eliza, "How long was Mr. Ishida in therapy?"

"Not long."

"Why?" the lawyer asked. "Was he beyond help?"

"Hardly." Eliza hated deeming anyone "beyond help" - there was always something _someone_ could do. "His family moved due to the terrorist bombings in Heighton View Terrace and the resulting divorce, so they stopped attending."

"Couldn't his father driven him to you?" Gabriel pressed.

"He was a busy man."

"Wouldn't a father want to do anything to help his son?"

"Objection!" Cody snapped. "Speculation."

"Withdrawn," Gabriel sneered. She turned back to Eliza, "Tell me one thing. Would Yamato have adjusted fine with the amount of therapy you gave him?"

The woman bowed her head. "I doubt it."

"Why didn't you refer them to another therapist?"

"I did, but... all I know is they didn't continue. I don't know why."

Gabriel walked to the jury. She spoke to them instead of the psychiatrist. "You said the children have a few 'minor problems'. Elaborate for the jury, please."

Eliza thought of the sweet children that Kari had brought to her. "Well, Hanako has PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - when it comes to loud noises. Tsukuyomi has a nervous stutter, but it's getting better with speech therapy."

"PTSD." Gabriel nodded at the word. She still wasn't looking at Eliza. "Something rape victims often suffer."

Eliza adjusted her shoulders, "Yes, like Yamato."

"My point exactly." Even from where she sat, Eliza could see the cold grin twist Gabriel's lips. Cody opened his mouth and Gabriel quickly withdrew her statement.

"Let me add," Eliza insisted, "that I believe Hanako's PTSD can be attributed to her father's suici-"

"Any other problems?" Gabriel questioned quickly.

"Hanako has nightmares about the su-" Again Eliza was cut off.

"And what is your professional opinion of the defendant's mental state now?"

Eliza glared. "Well, as you said, I am a _child_ psychologist. I can't say."

"In your _un_ professional opinion, then," Gabriel snapped, "How does he appear?"

"Tense." Matt looked up at her with a tiny smile and Eliza relaxed. Whatever happened now, she had done her best for him.

"No more questions." Gabriel sat in her chair, losing herself in her phone.

Eliza smiled as Cody approached her once more, asking loudly, "You were saying? About Hanako's nightmares?"

"All of her trauma is a result of the suicide attempt," Eliza pressed. "Not any kind of sexual abuse."

"Explain some of the differences for the jury," Cody requested and Eliza nodded.

"Hanako's PTSD, to loud noises, is a result of the gunshot being associated with fear." Matt looked to his shaking hands in shame. He wished his daughter had never had to hear such an awful noise. One he knew equally as well."If she was molested, typically one would expect her to have problems controlling her bladder, especially at night. She would throw tantrums, and possibly even experience night terrors. Again, however, these can vary from person to person."

"Thank you, Dr. Halloway," Cody said. "I have no further questions."

Gabriel made a noise of general agreement. Her phone seemed to be rather enthralling right then, and Judge Catherine scowled. "Then we'll end for the day. And Mrs. Dolphinus, I had better _not_ see that phone tomorrow afternoon when we pick up again."

"Don't worry, your honor," Gabriel said with an easy smile. She was dialing a number as she spoke. "Everything should be taken care of first thing in the morning."

Matt allowed himself to be arrested again, head hung low. Even Tai's inane badgering couldn't get him to perk up. He was certain that they all understood what Eliza meant by "person to person" - he'd been the one with night terrors, with rage problems, even with bedwetting! How could they _not_ know? Even if Gabriel lost this case, all his friends now knew what kind of sick, fucked up individual he was...

As Matt was lead away, TK hurried form the courtroom, almost tripping over his wife. Kari was trying to get him to wait for her or even just slow down.

"TK?" she called over the bustle of people moving. The blonde hadn't been able to look at her, much less say a single word to her in days. Even Kazuki and Lucian were beginning to worry about their father, usually so outspoken about his brother and his sins. "TK, please talk to me!"

But the man remained silent, stoic all the way to the car. Kari tried to speak to him, asking him over and over what she could do to help him. She looked deep in herself, to find her own Light and what remained of her love for him, but it was getting harder and harder. With TK shutting down, she was finding it so hard to stay.

Even with the radio blaring, the familiar Christian station preaching against the Devil and his temptations, Kari had never felt the silence weigh so heavily on her shoulders. Their apartment was on the other end of town, a decision that TK would say was divinely inspired as it was as far from Matt and Joe's home as it could be, so it took a long time before the couple walked in through their door. The familiar noises of home greeted them – the loud sounds of Lucian's games, the gentle scribbling of Hanako's pen on paper, and Kazuki's terrible jokes as he encouraged Tsukuyomi to laugh.

"You're home!" Lucian cheered, leaping his character onto a platform over a pit of snakes. He tried to jump again, missed, and cursed as he fell into said snakes. Mr. Tinkles, usually so close to her owners, was meowing in the kitchen and demanding to be fed.

"Hi, Mom, D..." Kazuki swallowed hard at the expression on TK's face and he felt himself scoot back from how close he was to his cousin. "Dad...?"

"Your father's just tired," Kari assured as TK wordlessly entered his office. He closed his door, not with its usual slam, but a gentle "click". The woman fretted, simultaneously trying to appear as though nothing was wrong. "Lucian, did you feed the cat this morning?"

"Of course I did." Lucian made a face as he skidded off the platform and fell into the same pit of snakes. "Didn't I, Kaz?"

The blonde boy made a face as he thought. From the kitchen, Mr. Tinkles continued to howl. "I dunno. I think I saw you feed her last night."

Kari sighed as the gray cat pranced up to her, purring and rubbing at her ankles desperately. "Lucian, feed the cat, please."

The boy grumbled and sighed as he died for a third time, the Game Over screen flashing bloodily. He shut off the ancient console and stretched as he sat up, realizing he would be standing for the first time since that morning. Kari hugged Kazuki close and smiled at her niece and nephew. "How have you two been?"

"Did you s-see our Dad to-today?" Tsukuyomi asked softly.

"I did," Kari admitted. Tsukuyomi reached out hesitantly and the woman hugged him. The boy wasn't used to physical contact and it always melted Kari's heart when he initiated the affection. She spoke into his red hair, telling the children, "He's not doing so well, but once he's back home with you two, I know he'll feel so much better."

Hanako had huddled herself into her sketchbook. There was ink on her fingers and the tip of her nose where she'd scratched it earlier, and she mumbled, "I miss Daddy..."

"Soon, sweetheart," Kari promised. "Everything will be over with soon." She kissed Tsukuyomi on the top of his head and patted Hanako gently on the shoulder. "I'm going to start dinner, so why don't you two go with Kazuki and start clearing off the table, hm?"

Late that night, after all the children were all tucked in to their dreams and eventual nightmares, Kari had just pulled her nightgown on when the bedroom door opened. The thick, starchy thing went down to her ankles and scratchy, lacy sleeves buttoned at her wrists. She always felt like her grandmother whenever she wore it and was always glad the next morning when she could take it off. She glanced over her shoulder and watched as TK sat on the bed. It wasn't out of prudence that he didn't look at her, but out of exhaustion.


	18. Chapter 18

_Angels lie to keep control..._

* * *

Kari stood in the bathroom. A fresh tube of lipstick sat on the edge of the sink and she grabbed it with a weary sigh. Her long hair was frizzy and tangled, stray strands sticking to her tacky lips. Even after attempting to tame it, it refused to stay in place. Just like the rest of her life all around her.

TK had awoken early that morning, missing from their bed before Kari's eyes had opened. She'd looked all over the apartment for him, but he was hiding away in his office once more. Not just hiding, but he'd locked the door tight against any intrusions.

"TK?" she'd called, knocking worriedly. "Are you all right?"

She could only hear the sound of keys clacking.

"Well..." Kari had looked over to her children's room. They would be stirring soon and would need breakfast. "Ok, just let me know when you're coming out. The trial isn't picking up until this afternoon, but I need to go grocery shopping."

More furious typing had been her answer.

TK had skipped breakfast that morning. Kari had called him, Lucian had knocked on his door, and even Kazuki had managed to talk to the door quietly. But with no response, Kari had sighed and turned to her oldest.

"Looks like you're in charge again today." She patted the thirteen year old on the shoulder and tried to smile, knowing he would see through it. That was one reason she'd stopped talking to Davis in front of him. "Make sure your father eats something before we have to go to the courthouse. And make sure Hanako cleans up any messes she makes."

"Yes, Mom," Lucian said obediently. Anything he could do to help her dimming Light shine again.

* * *

Tai hadn't slept all night. He'd sat in his recliner, watching his phone charge and waiting for any news. Izzy had tucked in Jaciru and read her a bedtime story, something he hadn't done since she was seven, but he'd heard her rolling her soccer ball back and forth in her room, bouncing it off Nakayama's empty bed and back to hers. The redhead had taken off his glasses, told his husband he would wait for him, and lay back in bed to pretend to sleep. He'd touched his scar all night, listening to Jaciru's crying, to Tai's cane tapping.

The morning's light found them sitting in the living room together. Jaciru was skipping her summer clubs, but her fathers didn't mind. She would have said they didn't remember she had any, except they did. That was where she and Nakayama were going before he...

Izzy and Tai weren't even bothering to eat, so caught up in their own fears and worries. Even the thought of food was enough to make their stressed stomachs churn. Tai continued to watch his phone, waiting for Ken to call him, or even text him. Any kind of word so that he could leap to his feet and run out to find his baby boy.

And Izzy sat at his desk, staring at the computer screens that hadn't been turned on in days. He hadn't even bothered with his glasses, leaving his world in a haze that matched his mind. He couldn't think of anything but the monster that had his son. What would Eiri do to Nakayama? What had he already done to the poor boy? When Ken called them, would there be anything left for them to have?

"They're gonna find him," Jaciru said suddenly, her voice breaking through the heavy silence. Her parents looked to her, but she didn't look back. She held her soccer ball in her hands, turning it slowly and counting the black pentagons over and over. Guilt weighted heavily on her soul and she refused to think that she should have fought harder to protect her twin. More to convince herself than her family, she breathed, "And Kaya won't let that old jerk do him in..."

"You're right, Bug," Tai whispered, words dripping with the tears he didn't have left. He looked at his phone, still and silent. "We just have to wait for Ken to find him and tell us he's ok..."

* * *

"Godamnit, where is that bitch?"

That was the same voice. It had been growling, cursing, spitting, snarling for days. It echoed in the cramped space he'd been kept in, reverberating until every word was a new buzz like a stinging bee in his ear. It scared him and made him miss his Papa and Mama so badly...

Nakayama kept his head hung low, eyes to the ground. He'd finally stopped crying, and his cheek still hurt from where he'd been hit for it. He no longer suffered hunger pangs, but now only felt one long, drawn out ache. He was handcuffed to the wall, too low down to stand and too high up to sit, forcing him to crouch and let his numb hands dangle in their shackles.

The man walked by again, every footstep making the ground shake. Nakayama pulled in closer on himself, trying to vanish from his sight. Hopefully, he would escape another beating today.

The sound of a phone beeping filled the tiny room and the man grabbed at it. "What's going on?!" he yelped. "I've had this brat for _days_!"

The person on the other end of the line was mad, Nakayama could tell, just as it had been every time the man had obsessively called. But, like usual, the voice and the exact words were drowned out by harsh breathing. When he dared to glance up, the man was shaking, clenching his hands into fists over and over.

"First you tell me to get the kid, then you say not to kill him! You don't take my calls and you don't answer my texts...!" More tinny speaking. The man looked over at Nakayama and the boy flinched away. The man snarled, showing off a few chipped teeth. "Of course I know you're busy, but –! … That other little Izzy-bitch saw me, you know... Look, if this one gets away, it's _my_ ass in prison again! You _promised_ I wouldn't go back there!"

Nakayama whimpered as the man grabbed him by the collar and lifted him. A disgusting smile twisted his lips and he leaned in close. The phone's speaker was close and as the man shook Nakayama as a woman's voice spoke, oily slick, "I'll make sure you _never_ go back to prison, Eiri. Believe me. Now, do you remember where I told you to wait for me?"

The phone fell to the ground, beeping loudly as the call ended. A second hand joined the one around Nakayama's throat, pulling him off the ground. The boy's feet kicked desperately as silver eyes stared deeply into his.

"Just you wait," Eiri growled, a terrifying light in his eyes. "Once _she's_ done on her end, _you're_ done."

* * *

When Kari came home from the store, bags hanging from her arms like heavy fruits, Lucian appeared to help her, announcing, "Dad hasn't come out of his room, yet."

"At all?" Kari asked. Lucian corralled his three charges into helping take the groceries, delighted to see that Hanako and Tsukuyomi knew where everything was supposed to go.

"Nope. I made him lunch, but he didn't say anything."

Hanako dropped one of the cans, almost on her foot, and bit her tongue to keep from cursing at it. Her most successful attempt at reigning in her temper yet.

Kari worried at her bottom lip. Even if he was, hopefully, working on a new novel, TK still needed to take care of himself. "I'll... I'll go talk to him." She glanced at the clock on the oven. "We need to get ready to go soon, either way."

She went to the office and knocked on the door. "TK? TK, can you hear me?"

The typing had stopped, but she could hear his chair squeaking as he rocked back and forth in thought.

"TK, you need to eat. You can't work yourself ill, and more than that, we need to get ready."

The squeaking stopped. And then a tired voice called out, croaking with his first words of the day, "Ready for what?"

Kari gave a nervous giggle. TK sounded as exhausted as she felt. "For court, silly. Now, come on. Lucian saved your lunch for you."

"I'm not... hungry..."

"You will be once you eat." Kari tried for the knob, but it was still locked. So she knocked, trying to remind her husband about it. When there was no sound of movement, she reached up for the skeleton key sitting on the top of the frame. The door was open and she stepped inside the dark room. Once again, TK had forgotten to turn on a lamp before sitting down to write. "TK, this is getting ridiculous."

The blonde jerked away from his screen, reaching up to tilt it away. He used to make such a fuss about Kari leering over his shoulder while he wrote, but this was the first time he'd actively tried to hide it. "Kari, what are you doing in here? This is _my_ office."

Kari ignored the childish statement with a frown. "I'm here because you've been ignoring me all day." More than that, she realized too late to say. A _few_ days, really. "I don't know what you're working on, but it can wait a few hours until we come home."

TK gave a deep, soul-weary sigh. His face was glowing with the odd blue light his monitor gave off, revealing deep bags under his eyes. Had he slept at all last night? Kari tried to remember, but she could only recall closing her own eyes and drifting off right away. "Kari, I told you I'm not..."

"What, hungry?" Kari rolled her eyes. "Then you can wait until we get back. I'm sure we're going to be late again."

TK shook his head, and it was getting hard for Kari to keep smiling. "No. I'm not going back. Not to that courtroom."

"TK, we've had this conversation before. _You're_ the one who decided you needed to be there for Matt." Kari clasped her hands together, trying to keep from crossing her arms. A motion like that would signal that they were fighting, and they weren't. They didn't fight – everyone told them their marriage was perfect. "Now, hurry up and-"

"I said no." TK stood and fixed Kari with a cold look she'd never seen on his face before. Like he was fighting against some unknown enemy. Something that only he could face. "I've tried, Hikari. I've sat through everyone defending him, but I know now that he is a... a... _monster_. Everyone is just brainwashed into thinking he's some kind of, of -"

"Victim?" Kari growled.

"He is _not_ a victim!" TK insisted. His eyes were shining, glowing the same white-blue of his screen. "Everything he's ever said about Mom is a _lie_!"

"What about what _everyone else_ has said about her?"

"They're just repeating his own lies! He's been saying these things since he was seven – they're just going along with him!" TK kicked his chair in a rage, knocking it over with a loud clatter, and Kari quickly closed the door behind her. The children didn't need to see this. "I don't know what got into Dad – it's probably just easier to deal with Matt by agreeing with him, and the Lord knows that _fags_ lie to get what they want! I'm not going to put up with it any more."

Kari fumed. She clenched her hands into fists. "Those are your _friends_ and your _family_..."

"No!" Kari jumped at TK's enraged yelp. "No, my mom _was_ my family! She was the one who loved me and cared for me! She couldn't have done _any_ of those things because she-!"

"'Because she' what, Takeru?" Kari growled. But TK just looked away without a word. He grabbed his chair and uprighted it, sinking slowly into it. Kari bit back a scream at her husband who was now focused on his monitor, ignoring everything around him.

"Just know this," the woman sighed, anger leaving her drained. " _I_ am going to Matt's trial, and I can promise you this: if you are not there today, I will not come home tonight."

TK could hear his wife's words, and they would register with him soon enough. He knew she had opened the door and left, slamming it behind her. He was aware of Lucian knocking, trying to call for him and ask what had happened. But as he looked at what he'd been working on all morning, read over the list of Matt's sins he'd accumulated in one word document, all he could think, all he could whisper to himself was...

 _She couldn't have done any of those things to_ him _because she never did them to_ me.

* * *

"All we know," Ken was saying, whispering into the phone, "is that someone saw him driving this morning. We checked the red light camera, and it _was_ him at the wheel."

"Kaya – what about Kaya?!" Tai demanded. Izzy was huddled close to him, straining to hear the detective's voice. Jaciru was hovering close by, unsure if she wanted to hear the words. What had Ken called to tell them now? What had she abandoned her brother to? "Did they see _him_?"

"No," came the cold response. The only way the word could be conveyed. The boy had been gone for far too long and in the hands of someone far too dangerous for him to keep false hope. The only peace he could bring his friends now would be their son's body for burial.

"Where is he? Where is that bastard Eiri going?" Tai growled. Anger was filling the void Eiri had made in him, and Tai didn't like the feeling. He didn't like the heat gripping his chest, the red flooding his vision. But if it would help him get Nakayama back, he was willing to give into it.

There was a hesitation on the other end of the line as Ken glanced at Natalie. She would kill him for even telling Tai _this_ much, to go even further would result in disciplinary action and even possible suspension. But he couldn't just leave the father in the dark... "He was heading north. To the junkyard."

The cell beeped as Tai dropped it. He grabbed his cane and pushed past his husband with a blind, determined hobble.

"Tai, where are you going?!" Izzy demanded. The brunette paused at the doorway, shifting his feet. "You can't just keep running out on us!"

"Iz..." Tai looked up, a determined fire burning in his eyes. "I gotta do this. I can't just sit here while something bad happens to Kaya!"

"We need you here with _us_!" Izzy reached out for his lover. The phantom pains in his neck were enough to drive him insane and without Tai around to be his strength, what would he do?

"Izzy, I..."

"It's ok, Mama," Jaciru said quietly. She stepped up to her father and carefully took his hand. The very eyes she'd inherited looked to her, brimming with tears behind smudges lenses. "Papa's going to help Kaya. He's not going to leave us – he's going to bring us all together again."

"Jaci..." Izzy breathed. He knelt down to hug his daughter tight, receiving an equally worried squeeze in return. The girl was shaking, trembling. She was just as scared as any of them, but she knew, deep inside, that they would pull through. They _always_ had, together.

"Just go to Matt's trail and wait for me. I promise I'll come back, Izzy," Tai spoke.

"I know," Izzy said softly. "I know you will..."

* * *

The tiny space was rumbling, rattling like it always had. A van, Nakayama knew. He'd been held in the van ever since he'd been thrown into it. Eiri was on the phone again, once more yelling at who Nakayama now knew was a woman. A woman who was telling Eiri everything he had to do.

"Look, I just don't fucking get it, ok? The junkyard? I don't think this thing will even fit, and besides it's walled off. If I get caught in there, I'm _not_ getting out... Ok, but remember your promise... Right. I'm not going back. No matter what."

Nakayama wanted to move his numb fingers. He wanted to stand and stretch his legs. But any movement would only draw Eiri's attention, and his black eye throbbed with warning. He'd already been hit for sneezing, any purposeful movement would surely result in worse. He wanted to know where they were going, but the van had no windows he could see out of. He could only feel the van sway with sharp turns and hear Eiri curse as he went down the wrong streets. The man was lost, trying to find something only the woman on the phone knew about.

Eiri almost regretted ever listening to her, but she had not only promised his freedom, but revenge against that fairy, Tai. Her other agenda was her own and he didn't care, not that she would tell him what his constant calls and texts were interrupting.

There was a place in the junkyard she wanted him to go. Where, exactly, it was, he wasn't sure. But so far, everything she'd told him to do had been accurate. Where Tai and Izzy had lived, what their kids looked like, when they would pass down that street. His hands clenched the wheel and he spit out the window.

Tai, that bastard. How had that fag gotten everything he'd ever wanted, huh? He'd taken all of Eiri's glory, had the school bow to his every Goddamn whim. Hell, not even Kyo or Nanase had gotten prison sentences – they'd plead out to Goddamn _probation_ of all things! He was the only one to see the inside of a fucking cell! After this, Eiri thought to himself with a cold grin, he should track down those rat bastards and pay _them_ a little visit. He would show them what they should have learned in prison with him.

The junkyard was before him, a deserted wasteland of other's trash and broken down appliances. It was a place of forgotten dreams and dead hopes, and he drove in without anyone seeing him. He grabbed his cell phone and dialed the number.

"I'm here," he announced. In the rearview mirror, he saw the boy stir a little, raise his head and glance up with teary eyes. He favored the little mouse with a grin and his head fell once more. "Where the fuck am I going now?"

"At the east end there's some storage units from when this place was a self-storage. Park the van in one of them. I'll be there in a few hours. I just need to take care of a few loose ends." The woman's voice was far away suddenly as she pulled away to hang up. "That's a beautiful perfume. Where did you ge-"

Eiri grumbled and tried to redial the number. It rang once and then the woman sent it to voicemail. She wouldn't be answering him until she was ready, then.

The junkyard wasn't small, but it was hard for the van to make its way through the piles of trash. Huge towers of junk cast short afternoon shadows across him and he could feel the van warming with the heat of the day. In the back, Nakayama was breathing heavily, the heat already getting to him.

After a few minutes, Eiri saw them. Only three units remained, the rest collapsed in on themselves from lack of maintenance. He left the van running, confident in the child's bindings that he couldn't make a miraculous escape, and hopped out to check the units. The first one was locked, the rusted padlock not giving under his hands. The second was full of old furniture, rats and roaches scurrying for safety when he opened the gate. The third, however, was completely empty and he laughed when he pulled the van into it.

"Once this thing's closed, noone will find this damn van," Eiri laughed and Nakayama continued to cower. "You'll be here until the end of the fucking world, and noone will find your corpse!"

The van was rattling, shuddering in park as Eiri stood. He approached the child, delighting in the terrified shivering. This was it, Eiri knew. This was how Tai should have been. Head bowed, begging for forgiveness for being an insufferable bastard. He should have given Eiri the respect he deserved all those years ago – more than that, he should have _worshiped_ Eiri like he was supposed to.

"I'm the fucking _king_ of the school," he growled, reaching down for Nakayama. The boy whimpered as he was jerked to his feet and he looked down, unable to meet those silver eyes. "Do you hear me, Tai? You're _nothing_ compared to me."

In his hands, Tai was whimpering. He was crying. His mouth was moving, but there were no words coming forth. Eiri licked his lips, enjoying the way his classmate finally gave in to him. He gave Tai a little shake and laughed at the flinch.

"You're nothing more than what I'll let you be," Eiri growled. "And, if you're good, I'll let you be..."

Tai sobbed in surprise as Eiri kissed him. If Tai really wanted to live, he would only live the way Eiri wanted him to. He would live completely and utterly beneath him, where dirt was supposed to be.

Tai's mouth was dry as Eiri explored it, pressing closer. His hands were beginning to explore the boy's body, just finding the hem of his pants. If Tai was good to him, he could be good back...

The sound of police sirens filled his ears and Eiri pulled away. Tai collapsed when he let him go, the boy spitting and sobbing. Eiri sneered, but he'd have to teach Tai to respect him properly when he came back.

The van continued to run as Eiri closed the storage unit's gate, locking it with a combination lock he'd found on the ground. Once he took care of the police, he could come back and finally have Tai all to himself.

* * *

"What is _wrong_ with you?!" Natalie was hissing. Though whether it was directed at Ken or at Tai, neither was sure.

They were in the junkyard, far too deep in it to take Tai back now. Natalie had heard the sound of uneven footsteps, obviously not those of a trained officer, and Tai had only just barely escaped being shot by the enraged detective. He stood by her as she shouted, glaring and refusing to back down.

"You could have been killed, Mr. Izumi! You're _damned_ lucky I have a good trigger finger." Natalie turned her rage on Ken next, but the Child was quickly becoming used to her rantings. "And _you_! I'm going to have to tell Meloni about this – don't think I wont! Telling Tai where to meet us?!"

"I didn't tell him to meet us here," Ken said and flinched when Natalie flung her finger in his face.

"You told him about the junkyard! That's as good as telling him to meet us!" Natalie was growling as she crossed her arms. She heaved a deep sigh and closed her eyes tight. "Just... stay behind us, Mr. Izumi. It's no use to tell you to go home now, but I insist that you at least not continue to run off and get into any _more_ trouble."

Making sure that Ken was behind her, and Tai was behind _him_ , Natalie ducked behind the piles of junk. There was no telling if Eiri had heard her yelling, let alone if he was still in the junkyard. They hadn't even seen the van pull in, relying only on a young woman's word that she'd seen someone drive in. Her gun was in her hands, arms tense as she strained her ears. She was listening to the world around her, dismissing the shuffle of Tai's cane and the precise footfalls of Ken. There were other officers, she knew, but they were spread out to other ends of the junkyard. If she was lucky, one of _them_ would find Eiri.

They headed east, carefully checking behind each pile of junk, each tower of trash. If Eiri was here, they didn't want him finding them first.

"What are we doing?" Tai demanded and Natalie shushed him.

"Keep _quiet_ , Mr. Izumi." The young woman glared as she snapped at him, "We don't want to alert Eiri to our presence if we can help it. If we can take him by surprise, we won't get hurt."

Tai made a face, but he understood. As much as he wanted to run right up to Eiri and give him the beating he'd so rightly deserved since he was seventeen, that wouldn't do anything to help Nakayama. And right now, his son's safety was more important than kicking in all of Eiri's teeth.

* * *

Eiri wasn't sure why he was here. There was trash everywhere and it smelled like dirt and rust. He could hear the ringing of a phone in his mind, but he wasn't sure who he was calling. Would someone pick up on the other end? Or would he continue to be all alone like he had been for years and years?

He'd survived prison. He'd learned to keep his head low and his ego in check. Hell, he'd even managed to win a few scrapes, hide a few bodies. It had been long and lonely and, at first, he'd been waiting. Waiting for his father to visit, his lawyer to tell him he was getting out. But it never happened. Other criminals, even those that had killed their whole families, at least got phone calls.

The first time he'd come up for parole had been five years into his sentence. It was the first time he's seen his lawyer since the police station, and the man was just as useless as he had been then. He'd sniveled and whined instead of standing tall and demanding his client's freedom like on TV. The parole board hadn't even given him a second glance, instead looking at something else in the room. And when Eiri had looked around, he'd seen them.

Tai and Izzy.

The two were sitting in the back of the tiny room, their faces cold. But they had been there, the scar across the redhead's throat exposed for the three people at the front of the room to see.

He hadn't been paroled.

So he sat in his cell again. Two more years of keeping to himself and escaping the gang wars. Again he came up for parole.

Again, Tai and Izzy were there. He saw them as he walked into the room, and they remained as he was led away.

Every time he was called to sit in front of those three idiots with nothing better to do with their time, those two bastards were there. Showing off the scar like it was some damn trophy. And every time he was denied his parole.

It was their fault, he knew. Tai and Izzy, acting like they were the victims. Like they were the ones trying to keep from getting shanked, from getting murdered just for standing in the wrong area. Hell, it wasn't like he'd actually managed to _kill_ Izzy, or anything – they shouldn't be so damn pissed!

The midday sun was beating down on him, baking his skin and making it hard to think. He could remember... something. It was important, he was sure. A woman's voice was echoing in his mind, but what she was saying, he couldn't tell. It was the same voice that had called him a few months ago. The one that asked him if he wanted his revenge. She told him about the children, where they were and where they would go. How much it would destroy Tai and Izzy if something were to happen to them.

And wasn't that what he wanted? To destroy Tai?

His hands were clenched into fists, nails biting into his palms hard enough to draw blood. It was all he'd _ever_ wanted. To see that smug look wiped off his face for good.

He could hear angry whispers. He licked dry lips, savoring the odd taste, and stilled. He ducked behind an old refrigerator, watching the odd procession pass by. A young woman with frizzy hair was looking away from him, a gun pointing at anything that moved. He ducked as the tall man following her looked in his direction. Eiri held his breath when the man paused, but he continued with another sure, steady step. And then there was an odd shuffling noise, something that neither blue haired officer could make. When Eiri dared to look once more, his breath caught in his throat.

He was taller, his hair slightly more tame. He was walking with a heavy limp and using a cane. But it was _him_.

It was Tai.

He forgot about the police. He forgot about their guns. His vision went red, his blood ran cold. The woman's voice in his mind was drowned out by rage, he could no longer taste those strange lips on his. He screamed, rushing towards Tai, arms outstretched to wrap around his throat when he reached him. The brunette jumped, almost falling on his cane, and there was a flurry of movement.

A loud noise echoed in his ears and he stumbled. Something hot and wet was rushing down his chest as he fell to his knees. The two officers were shouting, but he couldn't hear them. He could only see Tai's face, the look of pain and agony sparking the last bit of joy he would ever feel.

* * *

Eiri's body collapsed on the ground, blood forming a large puddle all around him. Tai, so close to the deranged man, didn't even pause. He merely screamed in rage and ran at him, slipping and falling to his knees. He grabbed a handful of Eiri's shirt and demanded, "Where is he?! Where is Kaya, you rat bastard?!"

"Tai what are you doing?!" Ken yelped. He quickly pointed his gun to the ground, not wanting to feel a second blast of gunpowder. Natalie was screaming, telling the brunette to fall back, but there was no stopping Tai as he shook the quickly cooling man.

Eiri coughed blood and blinked heavily as his vision swam. He could feel his insides leaking out, but the pain of being shot wouldn't come until later. He saw a brown blur before him and he sneered as Tai's worried face came into focus. He was shaken again, words being yelled in his ear, but he couldn't understand them.

"Eiri, you fucking dick!" Tai grabbed his cane and held it over the man's head, threatening to bring it down on his skull. "Tell me where the fuck Nakayama is!"

Eiri ran his tongue over his lips, leaving a dribbling trail of red. One shaking hand reached up and his fingers twisted in the fabric of Tai's shirt. He tugged and Tai leaned in close to hear the words of a dying sinner.

"Go to Hell, Tai... Your boy will meet you there..."

Tai screamed and threw Eiri's body to the ground. He took his cane and began wailing on it, only stopping when Ken dragged him away. There was no movement left, the crazed light dimming quickly.

"Tai, calm down!" Ken demanded. The once-leader was struggling in his grasp, fighting him as though his own life depended on it. "Tai, he's _dead_! You can stop now!"

"No!" Tai insisted. He swung his fist and almost caught Ken on the nose, forcing the detective to drop him. He scrambled for his cane, crying out, "No – Kaya's still missing!"

"Goddamnit, Mr. Izumi!" Natalie cried. She stood over Tai and slapped him. Hard. The brunette blinked back shocked tears and the detective snarled, "Get yourself together! Your child is out there somewhere and hitting a dead body will do you no good!"

Tai put a hand to his cheek and nodded slowly, processing every word. "You're right... I need to help Kaya and flying off the handle will only make things worse." He grabbed his cane and hauled himself to his feet, bracing himself as he looked around the junkyard. "Be calm and think," he whispered. "Where would Eiri put Kaya...?"

* * *

Nakayama coughed. The engine was still running, the van slowly filling with bitter air. He whined and tugged at his bonds, but they were as secure as ever. He could still feel the disgusting touch of Eiri's lips on his and he tried to spit. But there was nothing there. His tongue was as dry as the rest of him and he lowered his head.

"Papa..." he whimpered. He had collapsed long ago, arms tugging painfully on his chest. It would be easier, he thought, to let them fall out of their sockets. Maybe it would be less painful if they just fell off... "Papa, where are you...?"

"...yama...?!"

Nakayama blinked. His vision was getting hazy and every breath was painful. He couldn't see the rancid fumes, but they were there, slowly strangling him. "P-Papa...?"

"Nakayama?!" The second voice was unfamiliar, but it was calling his name. Someone was looking for him, despite what Eiri had told him.

"Papa...!" Nakayama's voice was barely over a whisper. He was so hungry and so tired and his throat hurt so much. "Papa, I'm here..."

"Kaya?!" Tai's voice was very close now, almost on top of him. "Kaya, where are you?!"

"I'm -" Nakayama was cut off by a coughing fit, body jerking so strongly it rattled the handcuffs around his wrists. "I'm here...!"

"This is hopeless!" Tai was saying, and Nakayama could hear the tears in his voice. "Eiri could have dumped Kaya anywhere!"

"We'll keep looking for him, Tai," insisted the second voice. It was fading, going further away. "We won't let him win."

 _No,_ Nakayama thought desperately, some corner of his mind still working through the fog. _Don't go further – I'm right here!_

But when the boy opened his mouth to scream, he could only whimper. A tiny mewl that even he couldn't hear. He sobbed, gagging on a lungful of carbon monoxide and flung himself against the side of the van with all his might. The handcuffs rattled again, echoing in the emptiness of the van.

"Did you hear that?" asked a voice with an odd accent.

"Hear what?" the second voice said. It wasn't any further, but it hadn't come back.

"I'm not sure..."

Nakayama's eyelids were heavy, and he could barely keep them open. He couldn't draw a full breath anymore and there were sparkles dancing in his vision. For all he knew, the accented voice had merely heard a cat rolling in the trash. But that didn't stop the hope welling up in his chest and he reared against the side of the van with what remained of his strength.

"There! That crash!" It was Tai, coming back for him! "Kaya, baby, do it again!"

Nakayama could barely move anymore, he couldn't breathe. He couldn't even cough. His head hung low between his shoulders that had stopped hurting. Was this death? This peaceful letting go? His lips parted and he panted for air. If he just stopped now, would the rest of him stop hurting?

"Kaya?" Tai was screaming, desperate for any sound of his child. "Nakayama, _please_!"

 _I'm sorry, Papa_ , Nakayama thought. _I can't. Not anymore..._

He thought of school, of not being able to run for student counsel next year; he thought of his Mama, Izzy worried waiting for any word from him; he thought of Tai, his Papa so close and yet so far away; he thought of Jaciru, his wonderful twin who would probably blame herself for letting him get taken.

" _You idiot," Jaciru was saying in his ear. "You can't just give up – Mama and Papa still think_ you _knocked over the fish bowl!"_

"He has to be here..." Tai said, his voice wavering with tears. "He has to..."

Nakayama couldn't take another breath. He could barely move. He gathered the last bit of strength he had and leaned away from the side of the van. His lips moved but there was no sound and he threw himself against the wall, handcuffs clattering loudly and echoing as he faded to blackness.

 _I'll tell Mama and Papa is was you, Jaciru..._

* * *

The sterile stench of bleach was familiar to Tai, almost a comfort at this point in his life. He was hunched over the small bed, holding a tiny hand in his. The EKG machine beeped regularly, the oxygen machine hissing mechanically. There was the steady drip of the IV, over and over, and Tai thought the silence couldn't get any louder.

He hadn't been able to ride along with Nakayama on the ambulance, the EMTs needed every inch of space they could get to begin lifesaving procedures. Ken had barely been able to corral him to the car, arriving at the hospital as Nakayama was sent into the ICU.

Tai had just stood outside the room, unable to bring himself to sit. He had a brief moment of self pity, blaming himself for letting his son get into this predicament.

 _No_ , he told himself. _This is Eiri's fault – this is all that rat bastard's fault!_

When Nakayama was finally pronounced "stable" he'd been moved into a small room. Hooked up to machines, he'd yet to open his eyes.

"Tai?" Ken spoke softly as he entered the room. Tai didn't even acknowledge him and the detective spoke, "The doctors say that when -" _if_ "- he wakes up, he'll probably have permanent lung damage from the carbon monoxide..."

The brunette didn't speak, just reached over to bush a few hairs from Nakayama's face.

"Tai, there's nothing more you can do here. You have to go to Matt's trial – he's expecting you there."

Still no response.

"Izzy and Jaciru are already there. You at least have to go be with _them_. Let them know Kaya's... safe." Ken couldn't bring himself to say "all right". None of them would know that until the child awoke. He set a hand on Tai's shoulder, biting his tongue when he saw the tears streaming down Tai's cheeks.

"... What if he wakes up and I'm not here?" Tai whispered.

"I'll let you know if anything changes. Just like I always have," Ken promised.

There was a moment's hesitation before Tai nodded, a tiny twitch of his head. Slowly, he lumbered to his feet, showing every last year of stress and turmoil as he swayed. Natalie was there, quickly guiding Tai down the hall and to the elevator. The man wasn't speaking, just silently letting her lead him to the courthouse.

"It'll be ok," Natalie promised. She cracked open the door and Tai stepped inside as the gavel fell.

"Since the defendant is in no state to continue, I call an end to his testimony," Judge Catherine was saying as Matt stood. There was vomit on his lips and he looked queasy as Cody helped him stumble from the witness stand.

"Matt!" Tai cried out. The worry for his son was still there, but just under that was the weight of a promise broken. He'd told Matt he would be there for him, but the blonde had testified, all alone. "What happened?"

Matt glared, the same dead look in his glassy eyes from the depths of Puppetmon's forest. It was a look that promised Tai a world of pain. He managed to raise one hand to flip off Tai before he was cuffed.

"Don't fucking bother!" he snarled. "You're just like everyone else!"


	19. Chapter 19

_Ooh, my love was punished long ago_

* * *

Kari sat in the courtroom, the only body in the whole place. She wrapped her arms about herself, trying to control her shaking, and she had her head bowed. Tears were dripping off her chin and and sniffled to herself. Could she really do it? Would she make good on her promise and find her true happiness elsewhere?

Her makeup smeared on a tissue she pulled from her purse. No, of course not. Even if she left, Davis had already told her he would deny her. If anything, he would only push her back towards her husband and encourage them to work it out. She cursed his chivalry, wishing he could be selfish and greedy, uncaring as to the broken family she would leave behind to be with him.

She would have to apologize, of course. Swallow her pride and humble herself. Tell TK that he was right, and that she wasn't being a good, Christian wife. He would forgive her, as his faith mandated, and she would continue to drown in all the chaste propriety expected of her.

The doors were opening, people beginning to find their way to the courtroom. There was the usual bustle of whispers, the low rumble of speaking that she couldn't make out. She knew there would be reporters lining the back walls, and she tried to straighten herself. She didn't want to end up in the tabloids along with her poor brother-in-law. She put away her tissues as she stifled her crying, digging in her purse to find lipstick or powder or _anything,_ really, to busy herself.

She held the compact so close to herself so that she could only see a single bloodshot eye. She was dabbing at her cheeks with the puff, trying to smooth away the teartracks, when a heavy hand fell on her shoulder. She jumped, almost yelping in surprise, and she turned to see the sorrowful blue eyes of her husband.

"T-TK...?" Kari swallowed hard, readying herself. He'd probably come to drag her home and she was prepared to tell him she would once the day was over.

But the man sat next to her, a shamed look on his face. He folded his hands in his lap like he was in church and spoke quietly, "Hikari, you know I... That I never wanted to hurt you... And I'm so sorry for what I said..."

Just those words were enough to soften Kari's heart. Her husband almost never apologized, but when he did, she could see the glimmer of the man he used to be. The Hopeful young boy who had fought for his friends and loved ones, his precious partner by his side.

Tears were welling in TK's eyes and he whispered so low she almost couldn't hear him. "I-I just can't, not without you... You, I... _Please_ , Hikari, don't leave me..."

Kari reached out and pulled TK close, feeling the distinct shudder of a sob. She cursed the words as she spoke them, knowing their truth and hating them for it, "I would _never_ leave you, TK. I was just... angry..."

TK leaned into her comforting Light, and Kari hugged him tight. He would never get over being the scared child, wondering why his family split apart. And, as much as she wanted to support Matt, she couldn't let her husband break. "... Do you want to go home?"

TK first reaction was to say yes. To tell his wife to get her purse and leave this awful place before she believed any more of Matt's lies. But that would mean he would have to go home and face Hanako. He would have to look at his niece and wonder about the abuse.

Hers _and_ Matt's...

"My mother was a good woman," TK said. "She never hurt me, and she loved me. I refuse to believe she ever even _thought_ about it."

"Of course," Kari acquiesced.

"But... " TK swallowed hard. He'd never followed that statement with a "but" before. "I... I don't remember much as a child. I don't remember how she acted with Matt..."

Kari nodded in silent understanding. She sat TK next to her, taking his hand in hers with a comforting squeeze. "Then we'll listen. Together."

The courtroom continued to fill. Reporters, friends, what remained of families. After his disastrous testimony, Malcolm made certain to be in that room every day since. Mimi was speaking with someone on her phone as she walked in, arguing with a manager it sounded like, refusing to go to some set she had promised a year ago. She sat down in one of the benches and hung up with a curse, scowling at her cell. Joe quickly sat directly behind where Matt would be sitting and Mimi descended on him, complaining about her schedule.

Joe pretended like he knew what she was talking about, and pretended that he even cared, all the while hoping Aiko didn't mind being left with Tomoyo and Layn. This was the one day of court he didn't want his child to even _know_ about. His only saving grace was Izzy appearing, Jaciru in tow. The suspicious lack of Tai was enough to distract Mimi, and the pair's bloodshot eyes and quiet sniffles made the woman forget all about Joe as she insisted on helping them.

Gabriel appeared from the far door suddenly, hissing into her cell phone. She was speaking in a low voice, tone harsh and angry. With a flash of a sneer that quickly turned into a harmless smile, she sat in her chair heavily. Just then, Sora walked in with her head held high. She was missing her usual consorts of Yolie and Yutaka, but they wouldn't be too far behind. Without their support, however, she sat behind the safety of the prosecution.

"That's a beautiful perfume," Gabriel said suddenly as she hung up her phone. "Where did you get it, Sora?"

The woman blushed, enjoying the special attention Gabriel always paid to her. It was very nice, even if she was usually being asked to do... certain things... But Sora shook the thoughts from her head and replied with an unsteady warmth, "It was a present from my brother-in-law, TK." Sora missed the dark look that crossed Gabriel's eyes at the mention of the younger blonde. "He said his mother left it to him and he gave it to me."

"Oh? It was Nancy's?" Gabriel gave a slow smile, deep red lips twisting. "And yet it's so wonderful – a young and bright scent for a sweet woman such as yourself." She gave a dramatic sigh. "If only someone like me could have a marvelous perfume."

Sora blushed at the compliments, reveling in their unfamiliarity. She reached for her purse, looking inside. "I do have it with me... it's such an old perfume," she explained quickly as Gabriel continued to smile, "that it fades really fast. I usually have to re-apply it every so often."

"Oh, may I see it?" Gabriel asked, face lighting up like a child. "I mean, only if you would let me..."

"Oh, no, it's no trouble." Sora took the antique bottle from her purse. It was small, and there was very little left, but the scent of roses still continued to fill the air.

Gabriel pulled the bottle to her nose, inhaling deeply. This would be perfect. "May I?" Sora nodded and Gabriel puffed herself once on the wrist and behind each ear. Even fresh from the bottle, it was a very subtle smell. She would have to get very close for this to work. "Thank you, Sora."

"It's no trouble at all." Sora felt warm inside, a comforting feeling she hadn't felt in so long. She sat back in her seat, still smiling when Yolie and Yutaka found her.

* * *

Matt had set his nervousness aside until now. He was going to defend himself today. For the first time in his life, he had to do it without raising his fists, a gun, or even a flashlight. Despite being a singer for so long, he hated the sound of his own voice. When he spoke, according to everyone else, nothing but lies poured out of him. How was this going to be any different? Even then... Even when he had faced his mother and failed...

The blond clenched his jaw as he was walked into the courtroom. He looked out at those there to support him, anxiously looking for Tai. As much as Matt loved Joe, Tai was his best friend and he _promised_ to be there. Matt wasn't exactly sure what was going on with the husbands and their twins, but for once when someone promised him something, he wished they would just fucking keep it. All the while, everyone chastised him for blowing people off. Anger boiled in him as he took the stand and he recalled everything.

 _"I swear, I'll be here every damn day for you."_

 _"I'll be home on time, I promise."_

 _"I won't hurt you if you just come out, sweetheart. I promise."_

He sat in the somewhat familiar chair. Having done this all before when he was just a child didn't alleviate any of his fears, and he couldn't tell if his injury was acting up or his own nerves were making his hands shake and sweat.

State his name. Swear in. They didn't ask him about truth and lies at this age; he was expected to know the difference. Not that anyone else did.

"Ishida, Matt," he answered, having grown accustomed to his nickname so he didn't have to hear that woman's sickening voice crying it out. "Uh, Yamato," he corrected.

"How long have you been married to Sora Ishida?" These were the easy questions. The ones that lulled him into a false sense of security before they tore into him. The six year old on the stand was shivering in terror.

"Twelve years," he breathed. He couldn't believe it had been that long. The entire thing was like a quick moment in his mind.

"Why did you two get married?" Cody questioned. As though it wasn't obvious.

"Mrs. Takenouchi - Sora's mother - insisted her daughter was pregnant and I was responsible." She had _demanded_ that he was responsible, refusing to listen to reason, Matt recalled.

"So, you did the respectable thing and aided a young woman and her unborn child?"

"Yes."

"Was Sora actually pregnant at the time?"

Matt looked directly at Sora. He ignored Yutaka's rage and Yolie's ire to stare directly into amber eyes that couldn't quite meet his own. "No. She _wasn't._ "

Cody paused, letting the words sink into the minds of the jury. "Sora's accused you of molesting your own child. When did this start?"

Matt tried to recall accurately. Despite being prepped for this of Cody's and his own accord, the shock of a near-decade still stunned him, "Nine years ago."

"Several have testified to your wife's own physical abusiveness. When did that start?"

"Not right away..." Matt tried to think of the first time Sora had hit him. She had been saying something and he'd been looking more at Hanako, struggling with her homework, than at her. His wife had snapped suddenly, slapping him across the face and forcing his attention to her. Matt had put it off as a one time thing, ignoring the fight that Sora had tried to instigate that night. The next time she'd hit him, and the time after than, it became nothing more than commonplace. "It was maybe five or six years ago? Hanako was starting Kindergarten."

Cody paced a moment, "Did _you_ ever hit Mrs. Ishida?"

"I lose my temper, but I only yell. I would never hit a woman." Matt managed to keep from grimacing as he thought, _Save my own mother. If she wasn't dead I would choke her for putting me through all this._

"So, _you_ were the victim?" Cody clarified.

Matt pursed his lips. As much as he hated the title, he had to respond, "...yes."

"Cross-examine, your Honor," Gabriel announced. She continued to stand next to her chair, seemingly unwilling to walk up to Matt. Cody frowned, hesitantly walking to his desk. "You're always the **victim** aren't you?"

"Objection," Cody hissed, not even seated yet.

"Withdrawn," Gabriel piped with a shrug as Judge Catherine glared. "If this marriage was so bad, why did you stay?"

"I'd _never_ leave my children in an environment like that." Not any more. The fact that they had been raised in it for so long made him feel like his chest was caving in.

"So, you love them?" Gabriel concluded.

"Yeah," Matt replied with a 'duh' tone.

"Too much?" Gabriel questioned.

Matt snarled, "I'd never hurt them-!"

"Objection, Your Honor!" Cody barked at the same time, glaring at his client to calm down.

"Miss. Dolphinus," Judge Catherine warned with a glare. "Keep your comments to yourself."

"Sorry about that," she chimed, not sorry at all, turning back to Matt. She was in far too good a mood to let anything get to her. "What prompted your divorce, then?"

Matt restrained his temper with an inaudible growl. "My daughter hit her younger brother. Children mimic what they see in adults - I knew where she learned it from."

"Like you learned your bad habits from your own mother?"

"Miss. Dolphinus. Another comment like that-"

"Yes, I'm sorry," she said, waving her hand. "So, if your plan was to get a divorce and win custody of your children... why shoot yourself?"

"Why does anyone?" Matt snapped, exasperated. His hands were shaking and even the plate in his skull felt like it was throbbing. "There wasn't any other way out. She was going to spread lies about me, take my kids - she had cut me off from everything!"

"Everything?"

"My dreams, my family, my _friends_ ," Matt growled. He stared past Gabriel to Sora and Yutaka once more. _**You**_ _made time to have someone to talk to._ _ **You**_ _lived your dreams. What was_ _ **I**_ _left with?!_

"How were you so sure Sora would gain custody? Have you really done something wrong?"

"No!" Matt declared. "Courts usually side with the mother..." Like they had with his own... "And with her lies, what was-"

"Why would you allow your wife, a _woman_ , to cut you off from everything?" Gabriel demanded.

"I respect her," Matt spat, followed by a quick blush. Was it as awful as it sounded that the woman who abused him, accused him of molesting their child, _still_ held a high place of honor in his mind. "I wasn't going to leave if we could still make things work. She's my friend... or was."

"Did Sora ever hurt the children?"

"No. She..." Matt sighed. "Just wanted to protect them..." How many times had he used that excuse for his own anger with TK? Still, _he_ didn't go around not checking facts, not trusting anyone...

"Why did she think you were hurting the children?"

Matt swallowed hard. Sure everyone knew now, but for them to hear it from his own lips? "Sora... found out I had been abused by my mother."

"What kind of abuse?" Matt couldn't stop the sneer that crossed his face as Gabriel's eyes lit up. He couldn't get his throat to move as much as he told them to, and his silence was making Gabriel grin. "I can ask the judge to order you to answer."

Just as the lawyer looked to Judge Catherine, Matt finally said as strongly as he could, _"Sexual_ abuse."

Gabriel licked her lips like a satisfied cat. "When did Mrs. Ishida find out about the abuse?"

"The day Hanako was born," Matt admitted. "My father told her under the assumption that I had told her when we previously dated." He waited for Gabriel and Cody to exchange stances. Cold eyes met one another as Cody began his questioning.

"How has the abuse of your mother affected you?"

Matt laughed at the question. He knew he shouldn't, but damn, why did court have to drag out things so obvious? "How would it effect any of _you_? I was fucked up! I had no idea what to do around people. Physical boundaries didn't _mean_ anything. Mentally, I felt like I was from another planet, implanted with knowledge no kid should ever have to deal with."

"So, with Takeru...?" Cody's eyes flicked to the man in the back of the courtroom, blonde head hung low. This would always be the question – his mother had touched him, so what had _he_ done to TK?

"I stayed away from him as much I could... I didn't trust myself not to hurt him," Matt whispered, tears in the corners of his eyes. He tried to meet TK's lowered gaze for a second before forcing himself to focus on Cody. How desperately he wanted his brother to know why he'd clung to the boy like his life depended on it, and yet so easily abandoned him for those three long Digital months.

"Did you really want to hurt your brother?"

"No," Matt shook his head vehemently. " _Never._ I just couldn't risk turning him into a damaged person like I am."

"Did you ever tell anyone about what your mother did to you?"

"When it first started happening..." Matt took a shuddering breath, only just realizing that he was crying. "I didn't know what to think. My father _did_ notice and asked me if I had been hurt. I thought he meant, you know, if my Mom was hitting me or something. I told him no, that she _wasn't_ hurting me. It..." He hated to admit it, but the words tumbled from his lips before he could stop them. "It felt good sometimes... I thought what my mom was doing was normal, but it didn't feel right. There was one teacher who I could talk openly to and I told him, but he didn't believe me..."

"So, how did everyone find out?" Cody had read the man's case file, but even he was interested in how it had all come about.

"This... bastard at school. I nearly beat his face in," Matt said, trying to restrain tears between gasps for breath. "They took me to the police station and the officer there noticed something off about me. It just dominoed from there. Parents, shrinks... but my mother denied everything at first. She just kept..." Matt shook his head.

"But I wasn't going to let that happen anymore. There was a gun in my parent's room and I took it. I _defended_ myself. If I hadn't, the doctors never would have found the tumor causing it all. When my mother was clear-headed, she was able to admit to... everything."

Matt waited, realizing how easily the words poured out of him. Everyone was looking at him, and he couldn't help but blush and pull into himself. And Tai _still_ wasn't there. More than anything, Matt wanted the man to know why. Why TK. Why the fights. Why he lost his mind in that damned forest and nearly destroyed everything for a little piece of his sanity back. Matt felt the cold of the air conditioner, like a ghost was standing over him.

"Nothing... further..." Cody had to clear his throat as he slowly returned to his seat. Even _he_ had been caught up in Matt's emotional overflow.

"Was there any evidence gathered against your mother?" Gabriel began before she even stood. There was still that hesitation, an almost unwillingness to approach the stand. Had he become so terrifying as of late?

Matt's face shot up as he glared, his bangs strayed across his face. "I had to go through a rape exam."

"Was anything found?"

"No," the blonde was forced to admit. Maybe if there _had_ been something there... "Nothing occurred leading up to the exam. My mother was sporadic."

"When you went to trial, what was the verdict?"

Matt clenched his teeth, "Not guilty."

"So... how do we know that there really _was_ any abuse?"

 _Bitch, did you really just say that to me?_ "You're no better than Takeru!" Matt screeched. "What is _with_ all of you? Why would I put myself through something like that?! I don't need your damn approval, I need _help_!" Voice cracking, he continued anyway.

Cody nearly stood to stop him, but he couldn't bring himself to stifle Matt's venting.

"My mother **betrayed** me. She broke promises to me, she hunted me down, she wouldn't listen when I said no. I didn't understand, _why_ , why these things my mother was doing felt good and made me sick. I realized soon that it wasn't normal, that I was different from everyone else.

"I would try to talk to other kids and they asked me questions like, 'Why would you do that?' I hated myself because I couldn't understand. I had nightmares and I couldn't sleep. Sometimes I would stay up all night just to make sure I didn't wake up to find my mom all over me.

"After a year or two I couldn't take it anymore. I hated _her_ for making me feel disgusting. I hated everyone _else_ because they wouldn't listen to me. I hated Takeru because he didn't have to go through what I did, and I hated my father for not being around when I needed him!" Matt took a moment to catch his breath and brush warm water from his face.

"If being weird wasn't enough I... I started bedwetting. Even at school. Dad had to put me on medication like some kinda freak. You all know the rest," he pleaded to the jury on his left. "...I didn't even come to terms with it until my mother died."

"That's a fabulous story," Gabriel said, rolling her eyes amidst the stillness of the courtroom. Friends, family, even the jury was holding their breath as Matt furiously wiped his eyes. Where the hell was Tai?! "But it doesn't excuse what you _are_. Without evidence, you **could** have made this up. Face it, you were an outcast who needed attention. That's why you went through all this trouble. To get even with a mother who abandoned you and your father to look at you."

Matt snarled, opening his mouth."Fu-"

"Objection," Cody snapped. "There hasn't been any testimony to support any other reason for the Ishida-Takaishi divorce."

"Withdrawn~" Gabriel chirped, seating herself once more. She began fiddling with something on her desk, something suspiciously _not_ her cell phone.

Cody stood, eyeing his oddly happy opponent, before returning to Matt who was definitely on the verge of a breakdown. He was reminded quickly why he became a lawyer, so the truth could be told and _believed_. He hated himself for doubting one of his friends and clenched his fists, "Would you ever hurt anyone - Takeru, Hanako - because of what happened to you?"

Matt looked up. "N-No. I'd rather _die._ "

Gabriel was on her feet, an odd smile twisting her features. For the first time all day, she began walking to the stand, approaching the defendant with an easy-going grace. "So, how did your DNA get into Hanako's rape kit?"

"There was obviously a mix up," Matt snapped. Anger was beginning to take over again. Anger at his mother, at his father, at Gabriel, even at Tai and whatever it was that had made him not show up!

"I'm sure the police know how to do their job. Maybe you're leaving something out?"

"No."

"...then, can you read these for me?" she asked, handing him a few papers she'd dug out of her briefcase. A strange scent filled his stuffed up nose, something he couldn't quite place...

"'Susie, the Perfectly Pink Princess', 'Let's Play Doctor Together', 'The Story of Janet'... These are all websites..."

"What _kind_ of websites?"

Matt grimaced and looked at her. "You're really going to make me say it?"

"Should be easy for you," Gabriel smiled. "Answer the question."

"They... appear to be... child porn sites," Matt sighed, tossing the papers down. That sudden stench worming its way into his brain was making him feel sick.

"Do you know where we found them?"

"...the internet?" Matt smirked.

"On **your** personal computer," Gabriel snapped back.

"On..." Matt blinked, almost unable to comprehend the words. " _My_ computer? I haven't touched that thing since Gabumon left me."

"Who?" Gabriel wondered, raising an eyebrow.

"The... the dog. Since my dog died," Matt shrugged, looking worriedly over at the other Children, including Cody who facepalmed.

Gabriel narrowed her eyes. Whatever, she figured, it would just make the jury think he was insane. "Unlike the _lies_ about your mother, there's plenty of evidence here supporting what you are, what you've done to Hanako Ishida. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Ishida?!"

"I will scream this until the day I die! _I didn't do anything_!"

"And yet your saliva was found on the victim," Gabriel chuckled. "Are you going to refuse something that could have easily proven your mother's guilt, had your timing not been so... unlucky? We should _thank_ the detectives and Sora for their swift investigation, otherwise, you would have gotten away with it, just like Nancy Takaishi."

"Don't you _dare_ assume to know anything about my mother!" Matt screamed. Gabriel drew closer to him with a wicked grin and the smell settled in. He suddenly recognized the smell of roses. Like the ones his mother kept on her porch. Like the perfume she wore. Like Sora's prized roses. Dizziness overtook him. He jerked away from that horrid stench, from the phantom touches he could still feel thirty years later. The anger he usually wore on his sleeve wouldn't appear until he could think beyond his mother's voice and her eager cries. "I would... never..."

"Mr. Ishida?" Judge Catherine questioned, noticing the man going completely pale.

"Your Honor, I request a recess. My client is obviously not-" Cody started, but he couldn't finish his sentence before Matt vomited violently onto his own shoes. He was just glad he hadn't eaten much and that the jury couldn't see it. He heaved a second time, dryly.

Cody ran to the stand, shoving Gabriel out of the way, ignoring the woman's scowl. He grabbed for his client, trying to help him to his feet as Judge Catherine announced, "Since the defendant is in no state to continue, I call an end to his testimony."

With the loud fall of the gavel, a voice echoed in the courtroom, "Matt! What happened?"

From the front door, Tai appeared, huffing and leaning into his cane. He was wearing a different shirt from that morning, and his cane had suspiciously dark splatters on it. Izzy didn't waste any time, grabbing his daughter and running to his husband as the blond looked up woozily. Tai's eyes met his bloodshot friend's for a moment, only breaking away when two redheads slammed into him.

"Don't bother!" Matt barked, stumbling out of the witness stand, a foul taste still in the back of his throat. He was grabbed from Cody's hands, the bailiffs manhandling him as he continued to cry out, "You're just like everyone else!" He flipped the brunette off and the cops shoved him through the side exit.

Tai swallowed hard, feeling Izzy shuddering in his arms. He squeezed his husband tightly, breathing softly, "Kaya'll be fine. Ken's waiting outside to take us to see him." He set his hand on Jaciru's head and looked to Cody who was hesitantly approaching them. Judge Catherine was crying out for order, trying to tell the court to come back tomorrow.

"...I haven't seen him look that bad since he was a drinking whore," Tai whispered as the lawyer approached. "What the Hell is going on?"

Sora and Yutaka passed by, the latter snarking his two cents, "Be glad he hates you. Now you don't have to deal with him anymore."

Tai pulled away from his family with a growl. He tapped his cane angrily, then swung it at Yutaka, Sora pulling her boyfriend away from the blow. She glared at Tai, "What is the meaning of that?!"

"Take that back," Tai demanded. "He has every right to be angry with me, but at least I _tried_ to help him. All you've done is make things worse!"

"I know the _real_ Yamato. Who do you know?" Yutaka questioned. "Has he ever cried in your arms like a baby? Has he ever left you holding nothing?"

"Plenty of times," Tai blurted, then found himself blushing, "But if I ever needed him, he would set all that shit aside in a heartbeat. I can't imagine _anyone_ having that kind of Courage, not even me." Shaking his head at the man who had dared to once call himself Matt's "friend", Tai looked to Izzy with relieved eyes. "C'mon Kaya's waiting for us."

Sora's eyes, once laid on Tai, now moved to Yutaka as the loving family hurried to the courthouse steps.

* * *

 _"Heey!"_

Matt groaned at the familiar call from Tai. He kept close to the wall of the cell in the nest of bedsheets on the floor he had made home the last few weeks, trying to hide the tears rolling down his cheeks. He simply hated everything. Dredging up all that murky silt from his soul made his mind clouded with dirt. He may as well have dug up his mother's grave while he was at it. He had made peace with her and now he hated her all over again. He was not the Matt everyone knew. He was Yamato, the six year old boy, holding a smoking gun in his hands in fear of the woman who was supposed to guide, love, and protect, watching her limp form bleed out a few feet away. He could still feel the heat of the metal in his hands, taste the blood in his mouth from where recoil has knocked out his baby teeth, and he growled when he heard Tai approach.

"Hey, you didn't hear me say 'Hey'?" the brunette forced himself to chuckle. He _was_ in a much better mood than he had been before. Izzy was sitting in the hospital, holding Nakayama's hand in his, waiting for the boy to wake up. He hadn't wanted Tai to leave him, but Tai had simply told his lover, "Kaya needs rest, and Matt needs a shoulder."

"Matt?" Maybe being a little less irritating? Tai waited for the grungy blonde to move but he was still, lifeless. Tai sighed, trying to keep up a playful tone he'd almost forgotten how to make, "Ah, screw you Ishida, if you're gonna lay there and be sad."

"...it's not you, Tai," came the sound of broken vocal chords, worn by years of tar and unsung joy. "I can't talk to anyone right now. Ask Joe. I sent him away, too."

Tai grimaced, shifted the weight of his feet as he leaned into his cane. He was unsure what to do. Joe had always been the one to find Matt in the darkness. To know that he'd been sent way, leaving _Tai_ to be the one to pull Matt through? "Look, I... I know what you did was hard. I can't imagine what you're going through, what you've _been_ through. I believe you, which is more than I can say for some...

"For what it's worth," Tai took a breath, continuing so softly he wasn't sure his voice could reach his friend. "Matt, I... always thought you would be ten times the father I could ever be. I mean, I had a decent childhood for a while, a mostly decent father before everything... but you... you come from something so shattered and all these years, the way you acted, you would never let something like this discourage you."

"Tai..." Matt sighed, sitting up, finally. "If you recall, I nearly blew my brains out."

"Yeah, but you missed. Lucky Ishida aim and all, right?" Tai snorted.

"Fuck you. What did you want, anyway?" the blonde said, leaning his head back against the wall.

"Tell me what I missed." Silence met those words, and Tai held strong. He had missed his friend's worst moments to help his son though his. He _owed_ this to Matt. "I'm always up for a story - good or bad."

"Are you now?"

"Have I ever given you reason to doubt me?"

Matt gave a sigh and wondered if maybe, having to bring all this up was a good thing. Maybe now he could finally stop resenting himself, his mother, and everything else. It would take time, but he knew he should have done this ages ago, and so, as if preparing to tell some grand tale of adventure, Matt took a deep breath and spoke quietly, "It began when I was five..."


	20. Chapter 20

_If you still care, don't ever let me know_

* * *

Cody had long ago steeled himself against the sight of prisoners. He held himself tall, ignoring the way they boasted their bloody innocence at him, ignoring the officers that asked how he could defend such "scum". Sure, he believed in second chances, but there were faces he'd seen three, four, even _more_ times before. Each time they told him they'd changed, and as soon as he got them off they were arrested again. He'd met many of his clients in jail, convincing them to take pleas, talking them down from confessing – or even outright lying – telling them that he would handle it.

He never spoke of it to Layn, but he could smell the stench of prison on all his suits. Every morning he dressed, he made sure to double apply the aftershave, to soak himself in cologne. His wife would laugh her beautiful laugh he fell in love with, ask him if he'd "gone swimming" and he would give her that tiny smile he was known for. He would refrain from telling her to burn his entire wardrobe every night, telling himself that this was _his_ life, these were _his_ decisions. No, he would never go back on his word, he would always give everyone a second chance.

But, damn, if he smelled like a jail for the rest of his life...

The officers let him in with a roll of their eyes. That Ken could get along with him _and_ the rest of his squad was the truest testament to their friendship. Matt was already waiting at the table, fingers twitching as he clasped his hands together. Whether that was due to nerves, brain damage, or the insatiable need for nicotine, Cody had never asked.

"So... So what's going on now?" Matt asked, not looking up as his lawyer sat across from him. He still felt bad, pretty sure he'd vomited slightly on one of Cody's shoes that afternoon.

Cody felt guilt well up in him. He'd known all about Matt's abuse, reading the entirety of the Ishida casefile before Nancy's funeral. He'd read the quotes of a scared six year old describing what a vagina felt like, what the inside of his mother's mouth tasted like. He'd even read the confessions of a sick mother, spilling her soul to a doctor and a shrink post-op, a baseball-sized brain tumor in a jar next to her.

But he'd never seen the broken blue eyes as they spoke. He'd never heard the crack in the man's voice as he pleaded with his friends to not hate him. He'd never seen the self-loathing of a man who everyone told he was turning into the same monster that had hurt him.

That Cody could have believed for even a _moment_ that Matt had ever hurt anyone – brother, daughter, wife – made him feel no better than the dirt he regularly defended.

With a heaviness in his voice that didn't seem _nearly_ regretful enough, Cody said, "We believe you, the other Children. I think even Judge Catherine might be leaning towards believing you, but..."

"Gabriel." Not a question. Just a resigned statement.

"She is very good at what she does," Cody admitted. "She has a 100% win rate, and that's not something that's lost on the jury. The only thing I think that will save you is proof you _didn't_ do anything."

"That's the whole point of this damn trial!" Matt snapped. The void in his soul, the empty part of him that had been ripped out when Gabumon had been sealed away, was smoldering with anger. It would never be put out, but the raging flames that were usually there had been stamped down by Tai. _That damn goofball,_ Matt thought. _He could have_ told _me he'd missed court because his kid was dying. I wouldn't have been_ that _mad at him..._ "But there's no way I can prove a negative! Especially with all this fake evidence showing up!" Without waiting to Cody to speak, Matt pointed at him, angrily pleading to be believed, "I don't _touch_ a computer, especially hooked up to the internet. It's _painful_ to know I can't go there ever again..."

"I believe you," Cody said softly, stopping Matt short. Those words had never passed between them, and it left the blonde speechless. "Those sites, those are the first results when you look up 'child pornography', and one of them is a very popular spam email. I don't know how they got there, but I believe you never willingly accessed them."

Matt refused to let hope fill him, only to be snatched away once more. "But what can we do to prove I _didn't_ do anything?"

Cody looked rather uncomfortable as he finally voiced the plan he'd come up with after that disastrous testimony. "Maybe... Hanako could -?"

"No." Matt shook his head. He would rather rot in this cell the rest of his life than do what his lawyer was suggesting. "That fucking bitch will rip Hana-chan apart!"

"But if Hanako can tell the jury _with her own words_ that you never hurt her, it might be the final push we need. Right now, Gabriel probably has them all convinced you're a monster. If your own daughter – the alleged victim – can say that she was never hurt..."

Matt clenched his hands. With the threat of his daughter having to go on the stand, they were shaking terribly. "I can't let her go through that," he insisted. "I've already caused her so much pain with this damn divorce..."

"This will be the only thing I ever ask of her, Matt," Cody spoke softly. "And the judge won't allow Gabriel to be as harsh on a child."

He wouldn't! He couldn't...

Cody saw the waver of indecision and jumped on it. "Once she testifies, we'll be done. You'll get to go home again."

Home... With Joe and Aiko and, maybe, Hanako and Tsukuyomi?

"I... I..."

* * *

Ken sighed wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd written the same thing twice in a row on his report, claiming twice that Eiri had been coming at Tai with the intent to kill. He scratched out the second line, and leaned back in his chair. His captain had chewed the hell out of him, threatening to kick him off the force if he ever pulled another stunt like that, Goddamnit! Even when reminded that the child had been found, and _alive_ , Meloni had still sent Ken out of his sight for the rest of the day.

Paperwork wasn't so bad, Ken figured. He could relax and wait for IAB to show up, asking why he'd pulled the trigger on his gun. _At least I didn't shoot my partner again_ , Ken thought with a grumble and a stretch. _Just a homicidal maniac holding children hostage over a twenty-year grudge._

Ken made a face, reading for the third time, now, that Eiri Gintama was actively threatening a civilian. He threw down his pen and scooted his chair back so that he could spin freely in it. The weightlessness of it always made him think better.

How?

That was the question. _How_ had Eiri known where Tai and Izzy lived? _How_ had he known where their children would be walking? _How_ had he gotten the means to transport himself and a scared child?

The small law firm that called the man in prison – it didn't exist! When he and Natalie had arrived at the provided address, there had been only an empty field, warehouse on one side, shopping space for rent on the other. Further research pulled up Chevan and Rockwell Law Firm had never had any clients, never seen any court cases. Whoever had called Eiri – they didn't exist!

The only clue was the phone number, and that only led to a prepaid cell that was now inactive. Whoever had been using it obsessively the past few days had suddenly stopped all contact.

A flash of white made him stop spinning his chair, and his vision stopped a moment after that. It was a young nurse, a nervous look in her eyes.

"Yes, ma'am, how can I help you?" Ken asked, the dizziness vanishing quickly. He wasn't one to get sick from something silly like that. When medical personnel showed up, it was never good.

"Oh, um," the woman squeaked. She looked at what she held in her arms before thrusting it out towards the detective. A white paper bag? "My boss told me to destroy this, but I... I think you might need it."

Ken reached for it, seeing a familiar serial number taped across the staples at the top. "What... what is it?"

"It's someone's rape kit. For an H. Ishida?"

* * *

Hanako sat in the witness box. Kari had bought her a beautiful new dress and stockings, she had brushed her spiky hair into something resembling manageable, and with a sad look in her eyes, she told her niece, "You have to go to court today."

They'd arrived _hours_ early, meeting a tall man with piercing green eyes and a cold smile. He'd shown her around, letting her cling to Kari's hand, and explained every last aspect of the courtroom. When Hanako had finally stopped crying, he told her that she needed to be strong. That she needed to help her Daddy.

Would her Daddy be there, she had asked.

He would, but she couldn't talk to him. That was the rule, she could only speak to him and to the other lawyer and to the judge, but only if the judge talked to her first. The tall man had smiled, small and kind of sad, and told her that they needed to talk about what her Daddy did with her. Everything – from helping her with homework to the the time he had to go to the hospital. She didn't need to worry about lying, or trying to make him look good. The only thing that mattered was the truth, no matter what it was.

Hanako had told the lawyer that her Daddy had never hurt her, and his smile got bigger. He told her to say that and everything would be fine.

And now, sitting in the courtroom, she swallowed as she thought, not for the first time, that Cody was a bit intimidating to her. But he was helping her Daddy, so he must be okay, she figured. Still, she didn't like the jury or Gabriel or anyone else that was giving her that same look she had seen since this entire mess started.

"Hey, there Hanako," Cody spoke softly, smiling at the thought of Tomoyo, safe at home. "How are you?"

Hanako fidgeted. She wished her dress wasn't so new so that she could find a loose string to pick at. "... 'm okay."

"I'm gonna ask you some questions," the lawyer said, just like he told her he would. "You need to answer them as truthfully as you can. You know what a lie is, don't you?"

Hanako nodded, still fiddling her thumbs in her lap. When she'd first walked into the courtroom, tall bailiff leading her to the witness stand, she'd seen her Daddy. He had his head low, hands clenched, and he looked like he was crying. But when she'd passed by, he had looked up, smiling proudly at her through his tears. It was the first time in months that Hanako had seen him, and she wanted to run to him, to throw her arms around him and say she was sorry for ever being bad! But Cody had told her she couldn't, not yet, and the only way she could make herself not go to him was to not look at him.

Matt had deflated then, thinking his daughter hated him. He glanced over to Sora, sneering as she cried into Yutaka's shoulder. She had never cared about her children before, why was _she_ so upset?

Hanako nervously looked up, giving her father a tiny smile that relaxed him. She didn't hate him – she never really could. The child licked her lips and responded to the question with a quiet, "When you say something that isn't true..."

"Right," Cody said, giving a smile. He wished he'd had more time to prep Hanako, to tell her what kinds of things would look better for her father. But the distinct lack of fear when she looked at him would be his only saving grace. "How are things at home?" He waited and Hanako's eyes darted around. "Ah, I mean, when you lived with your mother and father."

"Um..." It seemed like a lifetime ago she'd been at home with her brother and her parents. TK and Kari fought sometimes, but it wasn't the familiar screaming and throwing things she'd grown up with. "Well, fine, I guess."

"Do you get along with your little brother?"

"Yeah, we..." She swallowed hard and looked at the tall man, willing the sound of the gunshot away. "We fight sometimes."

"How about your Mom? Dad?"

"We get along fine," Hanako insisted. Everyone had always tolerated each other in her home. Why did Cody keep asking about it?

In that moment, Cody saw in her that determination Matt had steadily lost over the years. "Does your Dad... ever make you feel uncomfortable?"

"No... why would he?" Why did everyone have to ask that? He was her Daddy, she loved him more than she loved her sketchbooks and her pencils!

"Has he hurt you?"

"No, he would never do something like that."

"Hanako..." Cody took a deep breath. If Hanako had a breakdown here, he was sure to lose. "Do you remember... the night your father went to the hospital?"

Hanako's hands were shaking just as badly as her fathers as she grabbed her knees. "Y-Yes..."

"What do you remember?" Cody asked, looking back to Matt with a silent apology. Cody could see the barest hint of twitching in his face - he was trying not to cry.

There was a sob in Hanako's voice as she spoke, but her father's presence and life gave her strength. "I was fighting with my brother. I don't even remember what it was about, but I hit him. Daddy got mad. He didn't say anything, he just left."

"What happened when your father came home?"

"He and Mommy got in a fight... then I heard the loud noise."

Cody pursed his lips, "Alright, Hanako." He sat down, dreading the cold wave that replaced his presence.

* * *

"No, look," Ken bit his tongue. Growling at the man at the check counter would do nothing more than agitate his already throbbing headache. "I need to check out the rape kit evidence for the Ishida trial."

The man didn't have any problems with growling back. "I'm sorry, but I told you, we have nothing logged for it."

"Ok, fine, _any_ evidence for the Ishida trial. The gun or the statements – anything." When the man refused to move, Ken offered a tiny, "Please?"

The clerk rolled his eyes, but finally turned to his computer. Ken had the case number memorized, ready to spout off the alpha-numerical sequence that stored all his friend's hopes of going home ever again. The computer was running slow, the man said, so Ken would have to wait a few minutes for the program to respond.

"What are you doing here, Ken?" Natalie asked, walking up to her partner. "Meloni's going to have another heart attack when he sees you wandered away from your desk."

"Look, Nat, this is really important..." Ken began but the woman cut him off.

"'Important' how? 'Important' dragging your friend into a war zone, or 'important' almost losing your career and your pension, or 'important' going behind all our backs again?"

"Evidence in the Ishida case," the clerk said loudly, not liking being ignored, and Natalie glared fire at Ken, "witness statements and a list of kiddie porn sites. All checked out by Gabriel Dolphinus this morning for court."

"What about the rape kit?" Ken pressed. "Has it been checked out?"

"The one we had done on Hanako?" Natalie asked with a frown. Being mad at Ken for messing around with the Ishida case would have to wait. "Why do you want at that?"

But the man was shaking his head. "Nothing registered for it. No doctor's name, no date." The clerk shrugged. "This case never had a rape kit done on it."

"Yes it does," Ken pressed. "It's sitting in my desk right now."

* * *

Gabriel stood back from the stand, so Hanako could see her father. If there was anything she knew from past experience it was pitting fathers and daughters against one another and the wonders it could do. "Your father came into your room that morning when you and your brother were fighting?"

"Uh-huh." If she hadn't been fighting with Tsukuyomi, this whole thing would have never happened! She shook her head to keep from crying. Cody had told her that she could cry later, that if she did it now, it would only hurt Matt's case.

"Does he normally go into your room, _Hana-chan_?"

Hanako blinked and bit her lip. She could see her father stiffen with anger at the mocking sound of her nickname. "Y-Yeah, to put us to bed. Or wake us up in the morning. Or help with homew-"

"What else does he do?" Gabriel was smiling, even as she cut off the young girl's words.

"I, I don't know... he cries sometimes, saying he's sorry," Hanako said, wondering if she had said the right thing. She didn't mention how strange her father smelled when he got in moods like that.

Gabriel feigned surprise. "He _apologized_ to you. For what?"

"I don't know..." Hanako wiggled in her dress. It was stiffer than the one her uncle made her wear to church, and the lace was making her itchy. "He just leaves after that and goes to sleep on the couch."

"Hanako, has your father ever touched you in an unusual way?"

"Why does everyone keep asking me that?" Hanako insisted. Her cheeks were turning red with a flare of her father's anger. The same anger she had turned on Tsukuyomi...

"Answer the question, dear." Kari called Hanako "dear", but it never sounded so hideous from her sweet lips as it did from Gabriel's.

"No, he doesn't!"

"You remember the exam at the hospital?"

Hanako was blushing red from embarrassment this time, rather than fighting the urge to cry, like she could see in her father now. "Sort of... I was asleep."

Gabriel was leaning in close, a smile on her face that would have been more at home on a viper. "The doctor said you had been hurt, right?"

"That's what Mommy said."

"So, you don't remember because you were asleep."

"I-I guess..." Hanako remembered that she hurt for a long time after that. And that she wore the same pants for two days, not wanting to take them off ever again.

"Is it possible you father could have hurt you while you were asleep and you didn't remember it?" Gabriel snapped.

"I... I don't know!" Hanako's face screwed up and she tried so hard not to cry. _It'll only hurt Daddy if I cry,_ she thought desperately, wiping her nose on the hem of her dress. _Cody said I have to be strong for Daddy!_

"So, you don't remember anytime you've been hurt?"

"I'm not asleep every time I'm hurt," Hanako spat with a pout and a sniffle.

"You're scared, Hanako?" The girl nodded, warm tears curling down her cheeks. "It's okay to be scared, now or back then."

"Nothing happened!" the child insisted, wiping her face.

Matt nearly stood from his chair, tears forcing their way through the corner of his eyes. He turned to Cody, hissing desperately, "I'll do whatever they want - I'll confess to rape, to molestation, to faking the damn _moon landing_! Just make her stop!"

"But it did," Gabriel continued, just a hair above cruelly, and Hanako shook her head violently.

"No!"

"Matt, you have to _calm down_." Cody laid a heavy hand on Matt's shoulder. He glanced over to Sora, the woman openly bawling onto Yutaka's side, not even allowing Yolie to console her. "Look, false confessions will only hurt Hanako more. Be still and be quiet – Hanako isn't saying anything _against_ you." Cody stood quickly, calling out over the sound of a crying child, "Your Honor, she's badgering the witness. Hanako already answered the question."

Judge Catherine glared at the prosecutor, the thought of her own child heavy in her mind. It was so hard to be objective, but she needed to hear _everything._ "He's right, Gabriel. Move on."

The woman twisted her lips, wondering what it would take to break this child's love for her monster of a father. "Has your father ever done anything he wasn't allowed to at home?"

Hanako blew her nose in her skirt, hiccuping a few times before calming down. She could see her tears were only making Matt worse and she tried to be good for him. "...S-sometimes we listen to music Mommy doesn't like when she's not around."

"What kind of music?"

"I don't know. Just, normal music..." The same stuff that TK hated, but Kari let them keep.

Gabriel hesitated, changing her direction. She needed to get back to the waterworks. "Does your brother cry at night?"

He cried with her every night, curled up in her bed at the Takaishi's. "...Yeah, when he has bad dreams."

"Do you know what these nightmares are about?"

"N-no." But she could guess, if they were anything like hers.

"Do you have bad dreams, Hanako?"

"Sometimes."

"About what?"

"My, my Daddy..." Hanako sniffled.

"What about him?" Gabriel was smiling, almost out of breath with excitement as she waited to hear what she knew would be coming. "When he hurt you?"

"When he hurt himself!" Hanako retorted, slamming down her hands.

Gabriel continued as though she hadn't heard Hanako. "Tsukuyomi's dreams could be about your father hurting _him,_ too."

"No!" the girl shrieked, grabbing her hair and pulling like she'd seen her aunt do so many times before. "Stop accusing my Daddy of bad thi-" Hanako flinched and yelped as the back door opened with a loud thud. Judge Catherine was slamming her gavel down, trying to call for order as Ken and Natalie marched straight past the bar and up to the bench. The British detective as carrying something, a wildly desperate look in her eyes as she spoke in a rushed whisper..

"What is the meaning of this?!" Gabriel demanded, snarling. She was so close to making Hanako break, confess to anything the woman wanted just to make her stop.

Ken turned to the lawyer, the dark look he'd perfected as the Digimon Emperor so full of ice that Gabriel fell back a step. "Ms. Dolphinus, you _will_ be still and quiet."

Gabriel clenched her fists, furious that this _officer_ would speak to her like that. She looked to Judge Catherine, ready to insist that the detectives be removed and that they go back to the important matter at hand – the forced confessions of a scared girl – but the words dies on her lips. There was a knowing look in Catherine's eyes, a dark understanding that noone should have. Gabriel swallowed hard and her face paled as a white paper bag was presented to the judge.

"Y-your Honor," Gabriel squeaked, voice unstable. "I m-must insist that... that..."

Cody knitted his eyebrows together. Never once in his career had he ever heard Gabriel stumble, let alone been privy to seeing her fall apart.

Judge Catherine held up her hand. "You, Ms. Dolphinus, have no more authority to insist on _anything_." She cleared her throat and sat up tall, announcing to the shocked courtroom, "In light of recent developments, all charges against Mr. Ishida are hereby dropped. The defendant is dismissed with the apologies of the court." Her gavel fell to an explosion of words, each one tumbling over each other until the room was filled with an unintelligible roar.

Dismissed? Matt turned to Cody, demanding to know, "What does that mean? I can go?!"

"Yes, you can, but -" Why?

The lawyer watched as Ken grabbed Gabriel by the shoulder roughly. He had an undeniably pleased expression on his face as he pulled out handcuffs, announcing loudly, "Gabriel Dolphinus, you are under arrest for fabrication of evidence, for witness tampering, for witness intimidation."

The cuffs cracked loudly, the sound now meaning freedom for Matt.


	21. Epilogue

_If you still care, don't ever let me know..._

 _\- Snuff, by Slipknot_

* * *

"' _He said he wasn't scared when he was standing there and the wasps were stinging him and hurting him and he was watching me run away. Because he knew he had to give me enough time to run, or the wasps would have come after both of us.'_ "

Izzy sat, stiff-backed, in the familiar and uncomfortable hospital chairs. The book in his hands was worn and old. It had been Nakayama's favorite when he was younger, demanding it to be read every night before Jaciru deemed them both "too old" for bedtime stories at the age of seven. Even then, Nakayama had still snuck into his parent's room to listen to a few pages ever so often.

It wasn't the action or the dramatics that Nakayama loved, but how happily it ended. To him, the happy ending was the only thing that mattered.

"' _It wasn't brave because he wasn't scared: it was the only thing he could do. But going back again to get his glasses, when he knew the wasps were there, when he was really scared._ That _was brave.'_ "

Jaciru was on the other side of the bed, sprawled out halfway across her still brother, both her hands clenched tightly around one of his. She could feel the faint throb of his heartbeat syncing up to the monitor, his fingers pulsing with a dimmed life in hers. Her father's voice and the familiarity of the story was making her drowsy, but she fought off sleep. As long as her brother was unconscious, she wanted to remain alert for any change.

" _Because,' she said, 'when you're scared but you still do it anyway,_ that's _brave.'_ "

The door opened, but Izzy's didn't pause his words. He continued to read the pages, words blurry even through his glasses. A heavy hand fell on his shoulder and he leaned back into his husband's exhausted embrace.

"How's he doing?" Tai whispered. The pain in his leg was nothing compared to the pain in his chest. The words Matt had spoken to him, the tale of pain and isolation for years and years, they made him feel ten times older than he really was. How could he have never known all that and continued to call himself Matt's friend? He would have to remedy that, he knew, but not until Nakayama... "Any better?"

Izzy finally closed the book and set it next to his son's body. But he knew where he was, he knew the words he would speak next. He'd read it over and over all day, every last letter was burned into his memory. His lips were dry, but he spoke softly, gravelly, "The same. The doctor came by, said he could wake up today. Or he could never wake up at all."

"He will," Tai promised. "Kaya'll come back to us."

The machines beep and hissed. The fluids keeping the boy alive dripped and shifted. The clock in the room ticked maddeningly, over and over. Tai sat heavily in a chair next to his husband. Izzy's hands shook as he reached for the book. Even before opening its pages, he was speaking softly.

" _'I'm going back for them because they are my parents. And if they noticed I was gone I'm sure they would do the same for me.'_ "

The sun was setting, the room changing from white to yellow as the fluorescent lighting took up the sun's slack. A nurse came and went, offering the small family food that was predictably denied. Later, once visiting hours were over, they would chastise each other for skipping lunch, and they would skip dinner together as well.

It was a pattern that repeated itself for three days.

For three days they stayed together in silence, broken only by Izzy's incessant reading. For three days, the young girl bravely fought for her family, and for three days she won.

For three days Nakayama's still form survived only on machines, fighting for his own life, and for three days his own family wondered if he would win.

Just as the nurses were going around, gently telling family and friends that visiting hours were up, Jaciru felt it. The steady twitch of her twin's fingers in her hands changed. His index moved, then his ring, then both pinkie and thumb.

"Kaya!" the girl squealed suddenly. She jumped to her feet, almost knocking over her chair.

Izzy and Tai jerked from their half-sleeping vigils as she continued to insist, "He moved, I felt it!"

Izzy tried to tell her to leave him alone, but his voice was gone, echoing silently the words of his story. Tai grabbed his cane, resting beside his chair, and hauled himself to his feet. He opened his mouth to tell Jaciru that she'd "felt" him move about three times a day.

But then she leaned over her younger brother, reaching out to touch his cheek. Nakayama's face pinched in slightly, eyebrows furrowing. His eyelids fluttered and he snorted softly around the tubes in his nose and throat.

"N-Nakayama!" Tai cried. He dropped his cane to the floor with a clatter as he grabbed his son's hand in his. The boy flicked dilated eyes to his father and there was relief in them. There was love in them.

There was life in them.

* * *

Barely a week had passed since Gabriel's arrest, and now, Matt glanced to the man next to him. He almost wished Cody could have been beside him, but the man had told him he wasn't a family court lawyer. But, this guy did seem to know what he was doing, and he had Joe's comforting presence behind him just like before.

"Charged with molesting his kids?" the judge asked skeptically. "And he wants them _back_?"

"Your honor," his new lawyer spoke. His voice was just as commanding as Cody's, drawing respect with a simple statement. "All evidence _against_ Mr. Ishida was found to be nothing more than a collaboration between the former ADA Gabriel Dolphinus and the ex-Mrs. Ishida. The rape kit entered into court was _not,_ in fact, Hanako Ishida's; and when actually inspected, her's held _no_ evidence of any kind of sexual conduct. The child pornography websites found on his computer were only accessed once and only while he was recovering in the hospital.

"Your Honor, there has been absolutely nothing to suggest that Mr. Ishida has been anything but a good father and a victim of unfair, borderline _illegal_ , activities." There was a stack of papers on the judge's desk that the lawyer waved a hand to. "As well, this is all the evidence and testimony _in favor_ of my client not only getting his children back, but denying Mrs. Ishida access to the children that _she_ has traumatized with these false allegations."

"You can't do that!" Sora yelped and her own counsel tried to shush her. But the woman continued to cry out over her timid lawyer, "Those are _my_ children! I _need_ them and to make sure they're safe!" She pointed at Matt as the judge called for order in the tiny courtroom. "He's a monster, why can't anyone see that?! I have to protect my children!"

"As you can see, your honor," Matt's lawyer said leisurely. " _This_ is what Mr. Ishida has had to raise his children with."

Sora only calmed when threatened to be kicked out of the proceedings and the judge looked over the stack of papers. Matt clasped his hands together, trying to control their shaking, but it was proving hard. Yes, the charges had been dismissed, but would this judge be swayed like Judge Catherine had been? At least he didn't have a jury to worry about like before.

The judge took a breath and gave Sora a look when the woman tried to open her mouth. "I have been over these documents before, and I've even reviewed the criminal case as it was ongoing. I must agree with Mr. Drake here – I have no reason to believe that Mr. Ishida is a danger to his children. I hereby grant sole custody to Yamato Ishida."

Matt bowed his head into his hands, pressing his knuckles against his forehead. He could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks and he couldn't stop the hiccup of a sob as his lawyer patted him congratulatory on his back. It was over. It was finally _over_. He had his kids back...

Sora was standing, screaming something and the judge was slamming her gavel to try and regain order.

"Mrs. Ishida, _sit down_ before I regret my next words." Matt didn't look up, but instead leaned back into Joe's comforting touch. He would be home soon... "While I am granting Mr. Ishida sole custody, I still believe a young girl Hanako's age needs her mother around. Therefore, Mrs. Ishida will have supervised visitation, a mandatory two hours a month. Any more than that can be worked out between the parents."

Sora's wordless shriek of rage was cut off by the gavel. The judge stood and left the room, leaving the redhead to turn on her hapless lawyer. Matt looked up as his lawyer said something to him, but he couldn't hear the words. He could only see the man that was now standing before him, feel the familiar hands on his cheeks that he had missed so much.

"Matt," Joe breathed. He hadn't been able to touch his lover in so long, he was terrified that it would go back to what it had been before. But the blonde stumbled as he stood from his chair, sending it clattering to the floor, and he threw his arms about Joe's shoulder's.

"Joe, oh Joe," Matt sobbed, soaking the doctor's shoulder instantly. "I... I can't believe it... H-Hana-chan and Tsuku-chan..."

"They're waiting for you," Joe whispered into silky blonde hair. He'd missed the man's scent so much. "Just outside with Aiko."

Sora was being detained, yelling at the court officer that was trying to calm her, but Matt ignored her. He'd be able to ignore her for the rest of his life now, minus two-hour intervals every month. He let go of Joe and practically ran to the door, flinging it open.

There was nothing but a blur of blonde and red as Hanako and Tsukuyomi ran at their father. Matt fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around his children, squeezing them as tightly as he could. He was crying, kissing them, hugging them. They were crying too, kissing and hugging back. They were together. They were _all_ together again.

Aiko hurried to his father's side, gingerly taking the man's hand in his. Now that Matt was back, he knew he be able to put away his puzzles. He wouldn't need to put them together by himself anymore.

"Daddy," Hanako was crying. "Daddy, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything..."

"You didn't do anything wrong, sweetie," Matt promised. "You didn't do anything. I love you so much, Hanako. I love you, Tsukuyomi..." He would have spent the rest of his life on his knees, holding his children if not for a tiny touch on his shoulder. He pulled back, not standing, and still not letting go. He glanced at Joe and smiled. "Hana-chan, Tsuku-chan? Do you remember Dr. Kido?"

There was a hesitation and Tsukuyomi said, "I think I remember breakfast. It's been a while..."

"Well," Matt began and he smiled awkwardly. "I've been living with him and his son, Aiko. He's my..." What had Sora told them about him? Well, he didn't care. These were _his_ kids now. "He's my boyfriend. We're all going to live with him. Together."

Hanako eyed the tall man. She remembered how happy her father had looked when she'd spoken about him so long ago, but... Boyfriend? "What about Mommy?"

Matt made a face. He wanted to curse, but Hanako's teary eyes made him soft. "You'll see her eventually." Soft, but not caring. "Now, c'mon, let's get you home right now."

"Matt," Joe said gently. He'd seen the way Hanako and Tsukuyomi had glanced at each other. Placing a hand on Matt's shoulder, he continued, "It's been a long day, and the apartment's a mess. Let's let Kari and TK take the kids for tonight and we'll clean up for them to come home first thing in the morning, ok?"

"But..." Matt protested, hugging his children tightly again. He'd been given them back, why couldn't he have them _now_?

"The third room is still a mess, and we don't have enough beds yet," Joe insisted. Hanako's eyes, steely blue as Matt's had ever been softened just enough and Joe gave her a special smile. "They're comfortable at Kari's – we don't want them to be _un_ comfortable with us, do we?"

"I guess not," Matt acquiesced. He looked to his kids with a smile, almost unable to see them behind the blur in his eyes. "Everything will be perfect from now on. We finally have a home together."

* * *

A/N: I _was_ going to be completely evil and post this after my break, but I think you all deserve to know how poor Kaya fared. And now, with Snuff finally complete I get to do something completely "fun", i.e. doing dumb adult stuff: I'm going to take a two month break from posting. It'll give me a chance to move and catch up on writing.

I wanted to give everyone a special thanks for reading and and extra special thanks to everyone who reviewed! I hope you all enjoyed this and I hope you all come back when I start posting again in May!


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